Loki: Shattered Icons
by KatKing1979
Summary: A serial killer has caught the attention of SHIELD, and it is the manner of their deaths that points Nick Fury to two suspects. Loki and Lilliana. Now they are forced to return to Earth to clear their names. In their need to prove their innocence, they will discover that biggest threat to humanity is itself. Voudou Gods will be called and former enemies will become allies.
1. Prologue

Authors Note:

This story takes place two years after the events in Fall of Innocence. I suggest reading it, but this also works as a stand alone novel.

Creative liberties were taken with the Ritual practices described in the story line, I am a practicing Wiccan, and proud of it. If you are interested in pursuing the path I recommend Grimore for the Green Witch by Moira. It is an excellent starting point for the beginner, and Solitary Practitioner.

Haitian Voudou (Non pop culture spelling is being used for this storyline.) is deeply shrouded in secrecy and is closely guarded by the persons who practice it. it was a frightening journey for a person like myself to research, and I do not recommend studying the dark Magiks in it. However I do believe that you need to study the dark in order to understand the light. Please look into the subject at your own discretion.

The Tarot deck mentioned is the Shadowscapes Tarot, and is one of my favorites to own, for the purpose of the story, I used a Past, Present, Future draw, and the meanings of the cards are one hundred percent accurate.

Prions are real, so is global terrorism, it is only a matter of time before a weaponized virus comes to light that is created to commit horrendous acts. Humanity is it's own worst enemy at times and I sometimes believe that science is scarier than anything on the television.

The firearms in the story are accurate, I have a working knowledge of them and I have fired them and described them fairly accurately. I am a sport shooter and teach firearms safety in my spare time and enjoy teaching others about the weapons.

Fragmentation grenades are nasty...nuff said.

The Deep Web continues to exist, and in my research I had to dump a bucket of Clorox Bleach over my heard after viewing it. I will never go back again.

All science in the story is as always, accurate. Creative liberties have been taken however for the sake of the tale.

Bigfoot is still angry that the Aliens took Elvis.

This story is dedicated to my Grandmother.

She walks in the Summerland and waits for me to join her.

Witches at heart.

Prologue:

Now this is the law of the jungle

As old and a true as the sky.

And the wolf that will keep it may prosper,

But the wolf that shall break it must die.

(Kipling)

The quake ended as abruptly as it started, leaving fear and devastation in the aftermath. Shattered lives and bodies, buried under collapsed buildings across Haiti, cries tore through the city of Port au Prince as darkness began to descend on the city.

She lay in the darkness of the market that had fallen down around her. Her body fell into a void and she screamed out as voices drifted down to her in the confinement of her small pocket. She looked up and sent out prayers to Papa Legba and hoped he heard her voice as the fading light filtered down to her, dust filtering it to a dim haze that threatened to choke her. She looked over and saw her dead mother, and cried out in sadness, waiting for the building to shift and bury her. Crushing her into nothing in the void as she joined the rest of her family in death.

"Leonie." She heard in the darkness below her and she tried to shift in her small space to look, but couldn't see where the voice came from.

"Who is there? Papa?" She asked and she smelled cigar smoke, and heard a cold laugh behind her.

"No girl, I am not Papa, but I will answer your prayers if you serve us." The voice said and she shifted a bit, she sniffed, trying to free her hand to wipe the tears from her face. The voice tempted her with its velvet smoothness, and the cigar scent wafted up to her again.

"Yes. Please don't let me die, I will serve you. I want to live" She said into the darkness and heard a laugh and she cried again, sobs shaking her and making her tremble.

"You will be saved, and become my most devoted Bokor, Leonie, your soul now belongs to me for all time." The voice said and the smell of cigar smoke cleared away as she heard shifting in the building above her. Two men looked into her void and she blinked as they shined flashlights down onto her.

"We found a survivor!" The men shouted in Haitian and began digging debris from around her, the sound above her becoming deafening as she trembled under the piles of rock, concrete, and re-bar that were removed until a space was made. A space that was big enough to pull her through.

"Thank you!" She cried out as the men lifted her out of her void and she cried tears of joy that were cut off as she saw the devastation around her. He mouth fell open and she cried out in shock and nearly fell over as the Red Cross worker caught her up and carried her over to get medical attention.

Time passed and people looked at her, they said kind words as they worked and offered her comfort. Her cuts were cleaned and she was allowed to rest, but no one came back to her to check on her until an old man in red linen pants came. Leaning on his walking stick and smiled down at her.

"What happened? Why are all the buildings down?" Leonie asked in shock and the man looked down at her as he settled himself into a cot next to hers and motioned for her to rest.

"It was an Earthquake Leonie." The old man said as he sat on the cot next to hers, she looked at him as he tapped the ground with his walking stick and she studied him.

"The Earth moved and your family died," He said and looked at her and let out a breath. "That is life Leonie, you must accept that if you wish to serve us properly."

"Papa Legba?" She asked, lifting her head in shock and the man smiled and nodded at her as she cried again. The man gave her time and looked down at her as she scratched his white beard and then patted her head softly.

"You heard my prayers, and saved me. I will serve the Loa always." She said and looked at him, Legba smiled at her and picked up his staff and he tapped the ground again as he walked among the injured.

"I know you will Leonie, you owe us your loyalty now." He said and looked around him, rubbing his finger along a key tied in his sash and a door opened, he turned and smiled at her as he stepped through it and vanished.

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"Leonie Ezora Mentoumbu" The Red Cross worker called out and she looked up from the list of places she could choose to leave Haiti for. She stood up and smoothed her borrowed dress over her hips and looked down as the woman waved her through the door into her office. She sat down at the desk, trying to get comfortable in the plastic chair and looked at the woman as she flipped through the file in front of her. She glanced up at Leonie over her glassed and smiled.

"You have a very pretty name dear, and have been through so much." The woman said to her and sighed. She flipped one page after another, looking down at the forms and picked up a pen, tapping the folder with it and she looked up at her and smiled.

"You did not fill in a state that you would prefer as your new home dear, can I help you chose one?" The woman asked and she nodded at the woman and smiled.

"Yes Please, I do not know which one is most like Haiti." She said and smiled at the woman politely, she wrote a name down in the blank space and showed her the word.

"You will love Florida dear, there is a nice area called Miami, and it is sunny nearly all the time." She said and smiled at Leonie, closing the folder and holding up a hospital style bracelet and wrapped it around her wrist gently. She smiled at her again and looked at her and held her hand out to shake hers.

"We will get your visa ready, and soon you will be on your way to your new home dear, I hope you have a wonderful new life in America." The woman said and stood up from behind her desk and handed her an envelope, she guided Leonie to the door, putting a hand in the small of her back.

"God bless you young lady. I will send up prayers for you." The woman said and opened the door for her.

"I will ask Papa Legba to bless you for helping me, I will have him send good spirits to you." Leonie said and the woman smiled back at her politely, patting her hands gently.

"That is very nice of you dear." She replied and walked her to the front of the tent and looked at her kindly as she picked up another folder for a person who needed help. So many lives needing a new home after the devastation.

Leonie left the tent and stepped out onto the hard, paved road as a group of men walked past carrying another body for burial. The stench of death that had permeated the air hung over everything as the victims of the quake began to rot under the rubble. She pulled her scarf over her nose and turned and walked back to her tent in the center of the park and wandered in and out of the makeshift shelters. Children cried around her and she opened her makeshift home and crawled into it, pressing the envelope against her chest and cried happy tears as she dozed and dreamed of her new home across the ocean.

Her sleep was interrupted by a noise from far away, a low rumble that spread through out the camp. She sat up in her tent and looked around confused. Her mind still foggy with sleep could barely comprehend the sound and she crawled toward the tent opening. She clutched the envelope to her and and crawled through the opening to see men shooting into random tents, other men pulled children from them as they took anything they wanted in their spree. She turned and ran from her shelter, running from the men with guns and sent out silent prayers to the Loa as she rushed over to a tree.

A woman screamed as one of the men forced her legs apart and he unbuttoned his pants, she did not stop to help, because if she did, she risked becoming his next victim. Instead she ran, she ran for her survival, and she ran as fast as her legs carried her.

Bullets tore into a tent to her left, missing her by inches and she ducked over a low wall and kept moving among the fallen buildings, her feet being true as they carried her forward. She found a place to hide and looked back down on the park where the people had gathered together and saw the chaos unfold as she stood shaking on the mid afternoon sun. She saw shelters on fire and the men who had come to raid the camp were laughing and waving guns and machetes into the air, they celebrated their take and took more in their fury.

"Papa Legba, why?" She asked and shivered as she watched the men beat an old woman because she had nothing to give them in return for her safety.

"Stop them, Papa, I beg you." She said and sank to the dirt floor of the former house, her knees found pieces of glass and she was cut by the tiny shards, her blood dripping to mingle with the dirt.

"Papa Legba, please save us all." She repeated until the screams fell silent and darkness fell around her as the day faded to night, her prayers never answered and her mind in shock as she stood back up and walked back to the camp.

She walked among the remains of the tents and found bodies scattered about, her eyes took in a man hanging from a tree nearby and she cried out in fear as she saw the body swing back and forth on the breeze, his face swollen and bloated. She avoided walking under it and made her way back to her own tent and saw it still standing, untouched and small among the rest of them. Soldiers wearing special police armbands walked into the camp and looked around the carnage, taking in everything and walked past the woman who stood in shock, her eyes staring into nothing. One man used a bottle of water to clean her knees as she stood near her tent, he applied medicines and bandages but there was no medicine that could heal her soul. No bandage to heal the wound that was torn through her mind by the act of nature and the brutal acts of men.

She pushed the tent flap aside and ducked into the tent and sat among her meager possessions, she opened her hands over en envelope and crossed her legs in front of her as she smoothed the wrinkled documents in front of her on the floor of the tent. She looked at the papers and thanked the Loa for keeping what little she had safe. She stared at the domed tent around her and started offering prayers that the Loa would give her the power one day to punish evil men like that. Any power she could find to be more powerful and not feel helpless ever again, the Loa would hear her call, they would grant her the guidance she needed.

The Loa had given her so much already, perhaps they could give her more if she begged them.

They were so kind to her already.

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She walked across the tarmac. The macadam shimmering under her feet in the heat as the boarded the airplane that waited to take her away, to her new home and new life. Her suitcase rolled along behind her and a large leather bound book tucked under her arm.

The people who boarded with her ignored the girl carrying the book she had found in the rubble two days ago, the book she believed the Loa had guided her to in their wisdom, the book that she now protected with all her being. She had read most of it and the book spoke of a great power that only she could posses if she worked to attain it.

She found her seat and sat down as a woman offered to put her suitcase into the overhead compartment for her. She nodded and smiled at the stewardess as her bag filled with very little was lifted into the compartment, and the woman told her that food would be brought to her soon. Another man walked by in his fancy uniform and handed her a blanket, and she spread it neatly over her lap as she sat back into the comfortable seat and opened the book again and read from the pages. He mind memorized every detail of the written words, and she smiled down at the pages.

Each ritual detailed and perfectly written out for her to use in the near future, her mind working as she looked down at the pages. She turned the page and thanked Papa Legba for showing her this book, she thanked all the Loa and promised her soul to doing their great works on Earth. Her thin hands traced over the pages as she looked down at the pictures and charts inked into the pages, all hand written and carefully sketched into the pages as she looked down at them, admiring the skill it took to create the book.

She read the passage about a powerful weapon that could be used to bring her great power, and smiled as she hugged the open book to her chest. The spine protested as she crushed the book into her breasts, and she gently set it back into her lap as she smoothed the pages. She would treasure this book, and take good care of her gift from the fates. This book was now the most important thing she owned, and she read the ritual to herself as the plane began taxiing down toward the runway. She frowned at the pages and closed the book gently in thought, Leonie was going to have to truly break her personal laws of doing no harm in order to bring forth the Sword.

The ritual would require sacrifice, and she was willing to do it as she closed her eyes as the land below her faded into ocean.

Blood was demanded, she needed blood and souls.

She would have them both soon.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

"Twelve!" Fury barked out and threw the files onto the table in front of Stark and Banner. He paced back and forth and looked around the conference room in Stark Tower and turned to stare out a window, intensity shining in his good eye as he looked out over the city of New York. The new World Trade Center rose up in the distance, still under construction and looking like a shining beacon of hope in the distance as the sun glinted off the building.

"Twelve people are dead and this person, or persons, is killing them an a way we can't even figure out." He said and folded his hands behind his back, turning to look at both of the men sitting at the table in front of him as Bruce Banner shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked at the horrifying black and white photos that spilled out of the files onto the table. His stomach involuntarily churned despite how used to seeing death he was in his profession of being a medical doctor.

"All we know at our end is that the Feds are completely baffled as well." Tony said and scratched at his beard, turning green himself at the images that spread across the table, one laying right in front of him of a woman twisted in the agonies of a painful death. Her open eyes stared up at him as her mouth hung open in a silent scream, locked in pain as death took her from the Earth forever.

"Do we even know how this person is draining all of the blood out of the victims?" Bruce asked as he tried his best to ignore the photos on the table and closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, his stomach still churning. He was regretting his breakfast that morning, he took slow, deep breaths to settle his stomach and made a mental note where the nearest trash can was. Just in case.

"No, and I am not at all certain that it may not be a certain God as well, he does have a new protegee does he not?" Fury barked and looked at Tony in particular as the billionaire nodded and looked down at the table. He was guilty for not telling Fury about him two years ago, and that was bad in itself.

"This is not really his style, and his little cuddle bunny..." Tony started but was stopped by a look from Fury.

"Who you let off the planet without checking with me." Fury cut in and Tony tried not to roll his eyes and groan in exasperation. He actually did not worry about Lilliana, but Fury was right, no one completely trusted Loki and he could be pulling something. But this type of murder was not his style at all, there was no demand for any sort of fanfare in the ruthless acts. This was quiet, sneaky even, everything was in the shadows. Loki was all flash and waving his hands in the air for attention, the guy craved it and would go out of his way to make a statement.

"We really are not into keeping prisoners, and from what Thor said, she is safe and getting a better handle on her powers. He also said that Loki is pretty much keeping a low profile thanks to her, that and he does not want to risk his current freedom. Or her for that matter." Bruce said and pushed a picture away to hide the gruesome image of death. He turned another one over and looked up at the ceiling as he took in another deep breath.

"Thor told us that as soon as he finishes with some treaty that is in negotiations in Asgard, he will come back and update us on her, maybe we can find out what Loki has been up to from him then. I don't see how he has come back to Earth without any of us noticing his presence anywhere. He still is a pretty high profile criminal." Bruce finished and Fury looked at the man, and leaned forward onto the table, placing both of his hands on the surface as he glared at him.

He let out a long breath and looked at the two men angrily, he was not at all pleased since no one told him a year and a half ago about Loki being back on Earth, and even angrier that no one put a bullet into his head. No one could be bothered to knock on his door or pick up a phone and inform him that the one person who caused millions in damage and killed innocent people was back on the planet. Instead, he had to find out from the internet and multiple cell phone cameras that the asshole was back, and on a beach in Oregon. He was even more irritated that no one thought to stall one of the most powerful humans to ever draw a breath of air, or try to keep her from leaving the planet so he could question her. Instead, they let the two of them waltz out the door, and back to Asgard, where she was unobserved by his people, and who knows what Loki was putting into her head.

"She really is not a problem." Tony said and sighed.

"Not a problem?" Fury laughed. "This girl can move fault lines and manipulate energy, how is that not a problem? Do not get me started on her juvenile record."

"She has a conscience the size of Australia, and from what Thor says, she is still struggling with killing the big bad guy on the beach. She has nightmares, and she has vowed to never use her power to kill again. Her actual choice there, and a promise like that is hard to break. I have to respect her for that." Tony said and crossed his arms.

"You really think that it is true?" Fury asked and he looked at Bruce who nodded and sighed.

"From what I have heard, she really does not want to break it." Bruce said, and could understand her reasoning, he fought with his own personal demon on a daily basis, and struggled to keep it at bay.

"Thor will be back in a few days, give or take, and we will talk to him then, maybe he can get something from then two of them that can be useful to us on this case." Tony said and looked across the table at Bruce who nodded back. He crossed his foot over his knee and tied the lace on his converse sneaker, double knotting the bow before pulling his pants leg over it.

"See that you you do, and if either one of them puts a foot back on this planet again, make damn sure I am told about it." He said as Tony began gathering up the files and bundled then together, hiding the horrific pictures from view and set them all neatly on the black lacquered table top, Bruce looked down at the table in thought and worry crossed his face.

"If it is not them?" Bruce asked and Fury glared at him as a female intern entered the room with another file folder on her hands and she waited until Fury held out his hand before giving it to him silently, retreating to a safe distance through the door before he opened it and studied the contents. Tony watched the woman and waited as Fury opened the folder and scanned the contents, the frown lines on his face deepening as he read over the pages. He flipped up one sheet and looked at the photographs, selecting a particularly nasty close up of the victims face and held it up for the two men to see.

"Another victim, and we still have zero for a lead on this." Fury said grimly, "Same M.O. as the rest, completely drained of blood, and the only wound on the body is a pinhole in the center of the chest over the heart."

He tossed the file into the pile in front of him and pressed his lips together as he thought deeply about everything he was being faced with, turning to look back out the window again and folded his hands behind his back patiently. He squinted out at the World Trade Center and remembered the day the two towers that once stood in it's place fell, taking thousands of lives with them as they crumbled to dust and twisted metal. The two men behind him bored holes into his back as he turned to leave the room ans sighed.

"Thirteen." He said and walked out the door and into the hall.

This was going to get worse before it ever got better.

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The party had gone on for three days.

Three very long days.

I was exhausted and I lay wrapped in the blankets on my bed, rooting under the pillows for silence when a crash in the hall startled me fully awake. I flopped back and sighed as I yawned up at the ceiling in my huge bed, trying hard not to cry as laughter echoed through the halls and into my room.

Thor and Loki finally successfully negotiated a treaty with the Jotun, and it was all great. Well, almost great. On one hand the treaty ended thousands of years of open hostility, but on the other, it took them both nearly a month in Jotunheim to successfully negotiate the treaty. And now the celebrations were keeping me awake, and getting really old. However, everyone in Asgard was beyond happy to hear the news, especially Odin and the celebrations began all over Asgard.

That was three days ago.

I also may or may not have taught some of them how to do Keg Stands, which in reflection was probably a very dumb idea.

The worst part was Loki's absence, we only got a few moments together before he was pulled away by a Paige or another errand boy for some meeting in preparation for the treaty to be formally signed, and I missed him. I stared up out the windows as I thought about the weeks when he was away, and I could some women actually whisper about how handsome he was, nearly getting into a few fights with one blonde when she described in detail what she would like to do with him in her chambers when he returned. I popped up on the other side of the hedge and she shrieked when she saw me glaring at her in anger. I would have gone off on her too, but she had to take the wind out of my sails when she reminded me I was basically ignored when he and Thor came back through the Bifrost. It made me wonder why he didn't smile at me or at least say hello, he just walked past me to his horse and rode straight for the castle. But I in true bitch fashion still made him apologize for the slight. I had to be understanding he was now an adviser, and it gave him a bit more purpose beyond being my tutor and lover.

Annoyed when another another crash exploded outside my door followed by drunken laughter, I got up and pulled on my robe and gathered up a bundle of a pillow and blankets. I wanted sleep, and I was going to get it if I had to start a war.

No one questioned the exhausted looking woman walking through the castle in her shift, carrying two blankets, a pillow, and a lantern as she stepped out onto the flagstone path that lead around the back of the castle to the stables. I walked into them quietly and smiled over a door at one of the horses and gave it a gentle scratch on the snout as I made my way back to the far end of the building. At least the animals there were quiet, and never judged me for being moody.

And I was that.

I made a quick bed of straw and laid one blanket over it carefully, spreading out a bit more for more comfort as I worked and smiled at the horse above me. I snuggled down under the other one of the blankets and looked up into the dark eyes of Sleipnir, who regarded me with the kindness only an animal could offer a human.

Normally that horse hated everyone except for Odin, but he and I came to an agreement when I kept sneaking him apples and other treats to the horse behind the Stable Master's back. And eventually, we came to a truce. Which was marked by the way the horse nuzzled my hand every time he saw me, and how he quit biting my skirts every time I walked past him. Odin said it was because wild hearts recognized their kin, it was definitely the extra treats.

"It is only for tonight big guy," I said and tucked my arm under the pillow. "I really need sleep and it is too noisy outside my rooms I will sneak you more apples later."

Sleipnir looked down on me and gave a snort which made me think for a moment that he did understand me and he rattled his stall door as he snorted again and I turned over onto my side.

"Please let me sleep." I begged the horse, and turned my face into the pillow and nearly began to cry in frustration. The horse rattled his stall door again and gave it a kick which made me look up and sniff at him as the horse moved about in his stall. I stood up and put my hands on the stall door and watched as Odin's horse lay down on his side near the back of his pen, and I immediately got the point and smiled at him.

"Alright," I said and rolled my eyes. "You have to be more patient with me in the future though, I don't speak horse."

I stepped up on my toes and hung the lantern on a hook and picked up my bedding, carefully unlatching the brass handle on the stall and slipped in to the small space with Sleipnir and spreading a blanket over the hay on the floor next to the horse, I lay against his shoulder and pulled the other blanket up over me and tucked it under my chin and the horse nuzzled the top of my head gently. I laughed and patted the fur beneath my face and sighed as I yawned into my cupped hand.

"You are right big guy, this is nice." I said and curled up under my blanket as the huge horse nuzzled me gently, I laughed into the darkness and pushed his snout away gently.

"Don't eat my hair." I scolded the horse softly and he snorted again at me as I heard the distant sounds of foot falls on the floorboards of the stables. Sleipnir tensed under me and snorted again as I held my breath and heard another step come closer to the stall. I mentally chewed myself out for not blowing out the candle in the lantern, but I remained somehow very still and quiet in the darkness despite my wanting to scream.

I heard nothing more over the stable door, so I thought is was just a fluke, something shifting and settling and nothing more. The horse was just playing off my fear and I let out a quiet breath and closed my eyes when I heard it again. This time my heart hammered off my chest and I prepared to jump as they stopped outside the stable door and I shook under my covers in fear, a voice drifted down to me from above, snapping my eyes open in surprise.

"You are rather small to be a horse, perhaps one of the sprites are back to vex the Stable Master. No, I believe it is a Little Mouse, looking for a nest in the hay." Loki said and I looked up to see him looking over the stall door at me, a bemused smile on his face.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked me and raised an eyebrow.

"The party was keeping me awake again." I said and stood up slowly as the horse protested a bit at the disturbance.

"Why out here?" He asked and I put a finger up to my lips and he heard my point. He made a sound that he understood and I walked carefully over to the stall door and put my hands over his, lacing my fingers between his. As our fingers linked the tips of the fingers on his left hand found a bit of my waist length black hair and he toyed with it as I bit my lower lip.

"For a horse," He said gently. "You do have the most beautiful violet eyes I have ever seen."

I blushed and giggled at his compliment as he leaned forward over the stall door and took in a deep breath through his nose and looked up thoughtfully. His eyes closed for a moment as he took in the smell, and I giggled again.

"You also smell like Lavender, and you have a softness of your face I have rarely seen." He said and I laughed and pulled myself up on my toes and kissed the tip of his nose playfully, he smiled down at me and I frowned at him.

"How did you know I was out here?" I asked him and he rolled his eyes at me as I settled back down onto my feet and became painfully aware of how short I was as five foot nothing, but used it to my advantage in the moment as I ducked down a bit and peeked over the stall door at him and giggled while I flirted with him unmercifully.

"A guard told me he saw you walking out of your chambers, and several drunken men spoke of the fair and pale maiden who walked past them with a blanket. I thought it would be you. I followed the trail of whispers, and I was correct in my assumption." He replied and I giggled and sighed.

"I still stand out here like a sore thumb, no matter how much I try to hide." I groaned and laughed as he smiled down at me.

"I told you once, I would always find you." Loki chided and I blushed at him.

"I missed you." I said and he gave me a sad smile as he opened the stall door, releasing my hand and I backed up as he walked over and began picking up my bedding, shaking the straw out of the blankets.

"I know Little Mouse," He said and reached over to remove a piece of hay from my hair. "Odin has kept me rather occupied and I have barely had time to eat, let alone visit with you."

I sighed and leaned back against the stall door, looking at him in his leather pants and thigh length green tunic and took an extra chance to peek at his butt as he bent over to pick up the pillow and fold the blankets neatly, tucking it all under his arm. I smiled and blushed at his ass, and I giggled as he looked over at the horse who was standing up, and he had to push the animal aside to adjust the bundle. The horse snorted at him and stomped one hoof at him, I stepped in before they both ended up in a fight. I cradled the horses chin in my hands and scratched at his chin where he liked it.

Nearly two years ago, Thor and Loki brought me to Asgard from Earth and I had the Cruise Missile of the Century dropped on me. I was told I was the incarnation of a legend called the Illendrial and that I was the single most powerful being in the known universe. I was, and still am, hunted but I am here now, and protected by Thor and his friends, and Loki was given the charge of teaching me how to control my gifts.

He may or may not have learned a few things from me as well. Also, everyone in Asgard was currently debating if sticking the two of us together was a good idea.

Never teach a God of Mischief about Glitter, it ends badly for everyone.

Long story short, I got tortured for my powers and a beach in Oregon. Killed the bad guy, and hooked up with the sexy Troublemaker God whose butt I was currently ogling like a dirty construction worker. He turned around suddenly and almost caught me. I pretended to scratch and itch over the eight pointed star birthmark just below my left ear and let him guide me out of the stall as he smiled down at me sheepishly. I waited while he secured the door, and offered me his elbow and we walked together and smiled.

"You can sleep in my chambers tonight." He said and he pulled me close by tucking his elbow into his side and I laughed. "It is in a quieter part of the castle, I hesitated bringing you to them because of your fears of rooms without windows. The rooms are not a open as yours, and I do not wish to make you feel uncomfortable."

I am claustrophobic, severely so. And he found out the hard way during an attempt to take me someplace safe during an attack on Asgard I panicked and froze nearly getting us caught thanks to my stupid fear. He guided me along the flagstone path and glanced down at my feet, he stopped and looked down at my toes and I tried to hide them under my shift as he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Where are your shoes?" He asked me and I shrugged at him, looking up and trying to look sorry.

"In my room." I said and he gave me an exasperated look as he handed me the folded blankets and pillow, I held them against my stomach and wrapped my arms around them as he lifted me off my feet bridal style and continued walking.

"You are going to step on something and cut your feet." He said as he walked along with me, scolding me as I giggled at him in the diffused light. I felt a bit giddy and nervous at the same time because I had never seen his rooms before, but my silly fear of enclosed spaces made me wonder if I could handle it. I never pressed to see his things and I never pushed him to let me into his world, and it was fine by the both of us. I always figured if he wanted me there, he would invite me in.

So sue me, I like to give the guy space.

Most of the time he came to my rooms and would hold me as I dozed, or he would just talk as I lay back and listened, sometimes it was the other way around. We understood each other and knew what it was to live in our skin. We knew what it was like to constantly prove ourselves, and be rejected and made an afterthought, and we understood what a lifetime of being in shadows can do to a person. It was nice to have that level of confidence in another person, and to not be treated like a weirdo every time you opened your mouth.

There were times where we did not say a word, we would just lay together and watch the fireplace as the flames crackled away, feeling content to just exist with each other. We would mold our bodies into one and feel safe with the other person, dozing and keeping our nightmares away. Our time was ours, and we hated interruption of that time. But we knew it was necessary at times, and we were both immortal.

Not like we were going anywhere, not for a lack of someone trying to remove us from the universe.

I shivered in his arms and thought about when I died on the beach on Oregon, Natasha told me about how Loki refused to give up and fought Clint to keep working to bring me back, and it worked. All because I had to face a being who wanted to kill me for my half of the soul that made me, essentially making him the most powerful being in all of creation. Some nights I would wake up screaming from the nightmares of him sticking knives into me and Loki would patiently calm me until I stopped shaking and I could fall back asleep.

I shivered again thinking of the boss battle on the beach near Astoria, and Loki held me a bit closer as we walked.

"Cold?" he asked and I shook my head and let out a breath.

"Bad memories." I said and the arm behind my back squeezed a bit as he continued walking.

"I know Little Mouse. Don't let them haunt you." He replied and turned to walk through an arch as he set me down for a moment as he opened a heavy wooden door and gently guided me through it with a hand in the center of my back.

I felt a bit nervous as I walked into his rooms and was surprised by everything he kept in them, a wall of bookshelves dominated the room and was overstuffed with various texts. A large desk sat overflowing with papers and had a high-backed chair pushed into it neatly. A familiar telescope was pointed out one window and his four posted bed was a huge slab of dark stained wood and felt a bit imposing, but still looked comfortable to my bone weary body.

He walked through a door and moved around it quickly as I looked around the room. I walked to the shelves and carefully picked up a carved figure, turning it around in my hand and studied it as I set it back into its spot on the shelf. I slowly moved over to sit in the chair at the desk, pulling out the chair and still clutching my bundle of blankets and pillow like a safety net as I looked at everything around me, claustrophobia clawing at the back of my head for a second. I bolted over and opened a window a crack and returned to my seat and settled back into it, feeling better thanks to the fresh air.

"Excuse the clutter." Loki said and took the bundle of linens from me and set them on the foot of his bed, and leaving the room again to bring in a basin of water. He set it on the floor at my feet and handed me a couple cloths.

"When you get to be my age, you will amass your own collection. Please wash your feet."

"Do you get tired of having so much?" I asked him as I dipped my toes into the warm water and began scrubbing the dirt off of them from my barefoot wanderings outside and dried them both off using the second cloth. I heard him shift in the other room and looked around the chair back to see him walk past the doorway as he walked past it with his boots in his hand and he walked past the door again and caught me looking and smiled at me.

"Some things I hold onto, others I get rid of when they have no further use to me." he said, walking back into the room wearing a pair of linen pants and smiled down at me as he lifted my chin and pinched it.

"Some things are beyond precious to me Little Mouse." He said and handed me a velvet pouch with something heavy in it. I took it from him and he picked up the basin and put it back in the other room as he glanced over and saw the open window. He looked back to me and I shrugged shyly and he let the open window go. Blushing I watched him return and sit down on the bed as he watched me open the drawstrings carefully, my fingers untying the small pouch.

This was a side only I got to see of him in private, a side that was only for me and no one else. The rest of the time, he guarded himself carefully and so did I. But when we were alone together we dropped out fronts and could trust one another with the others secrets and thoughts. It took me twenty three years to find someone I trusted that much, and I was determined not to screw it up.

"And may I ask what I did to earn a present?" I challenged him gently as he watched me and shifted the bed, observing me as I carefully opened the pouch and pulled out a gold cuff bracelet with delicate filigree.

"Do I truly need a reason to bring you a gift from Jotunheim?" He asked as I looked into the shimmering, pale blue stones that were slightly milky in opacity, yet glittered in the light and dotted the center of each carved star on the piece of jewelry.

"It is beautiful." I said and slipped it onto my wrist and smiled as him as he grinned back at me crookedly. I stretched my wrist out to admire it and he watched me with interest as I sat back against the chair and looked at him. I pulled my feet up and wrapping my arms around the knees, the silk shift falling over the edge and flowing like water around me.

"I am glad you like it Little Mouse." He said and I looked back at him. "The stones are Frost Opals, only found in Jotunheim, very rare and shimmering with inner light."

"Thank you." I said softly and rested my cheek on my knees, bringing my hand up to yawn behind it and he frowned at me in concern and put his hand out.

"You look tired." He said and I nodded back at him.

"The party has kept me up for three days, I'm beyond tired." I confessed as he stood up and turned down the sheets and quilts. He put his hand out for me and I slipped out of the chair and I untied the sash of my ruffled, velvet robe and turned around. He turned back and slipped the robe off my shoulders and I put my knee up onto the bed and crawled onto it, watching him drape the garment of the back of the chair neatly. I looked around the room again and noted how much stuff there was, but everything was organized and tidy. Everything had it's place, and I secretly wondered if I had a neat, organized spot as well.

I snuggled down onto the pillow as he turned the wall sconces down, he left some partially illuminated and cracked the window a bit more for my comfort. He turned and I was filled with sadness when I saw the scars that lined his back and vanished under the waistband of his pants become more defined as the lights dimmed. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the people who had hurt him and how much a person could take before they cracked under torture, feeling the other side of the mattress depress under his weight and opened them to see him turn toward me on his side. I smiled and scooted my thin body back and snuggled my back into his chest as he pulled the blankets up to my shoulder and wrapped an arm around me.

"Feel better?" He asked me in the dim light and it was blissfully quiet around us, I looked at my bracelet and watched the stones glitter and I felt him chuckle against me.

"Stop that." I said, scolding him. "When you laugh, my eyes go out of focus."

I could feel him nuzzle his nose into my hair as he laughed again and I smiled back at him and resettled into the pillow.

"I thought you liked the sound of my laugh." He teased me. "Mind yourself Little Mouse, I will take the bracelet back."

"Then I will run away Magic Dance." I said and he tightened his arm around me, yes I gave him a nickname after a David Bowie song. No regrets at all.

"I would find you." He said and kissed my shoulder, laughing as my eyelids grew heavy in the dim light and I smiled as his hand rested on my stomach gently.

"I would always find you." He said and I smiled turning to look at him.

"I know. Are you going to vanish on me in the morning?" I felt him tense a bit and he calmed again as he shifted up onto his elbow and sighed and found my hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

"This treaty is important," Loki started and stopped me before I could say anything more. "But, tomorrow is yours, the celebrations for Thor's victory and diplomacy..." I cut him off with a playful slap to the shoulder and rolled my eyes and yawned again.

"They are celebrating you as well," I grumbled at him. "Stop thinking everything is about him you dork. You should hear what other women are saying about you, you would blush, and be embarrassed."

He nuzzled my hair again and I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the girls throwing themselves at him and felt depressed at the thought. Sighing at the ceiling he touched my cheek gently and turned my head back to him and kissed me softly, I sighed again and took in a deep breath as he raised up from me and his hand snaked around my back and he lay back against the bed and pulled me toward him.

"You know what the problem with all the other girls of Asgard are?" He asked me and I looked at him and shook my head.

"Taller than me? Blonde? Statuesque?" I asked him and he tapped my nose with his fingers.

"None of them are you." He said and I snuggled my face into his neck and hugged him tight.

"I missed you as well Little Mouse." He said and settled back and smiled as I drifted off to sleep.

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I wasn't on the beach, and I had no idea where I was.

There was stone under my back and I was cold, shivering I tried to move and found my hands bound above my head. I struggled against my bindings, fighting to free my hands and cried out as the shackles bit into my wrists painfully, drawing blood.

A woman entered the room with her face painted, her robes hung off her body and I shivered and struggled more against my bonds in my fear.

She circled the room clockwise and opened a large book in her hands, chanting the words rhythmically as she read from the pages, her body swaying and moving with her words as she stood over me with one hand outstretched.

I watched in horror as the blood in my body pushed through my skin, and I screamed as she ignored my fear in my eyes and pleas for her to stop.

I screamed out as my legs went numb and she looked down at me with dead, milky eyes.

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I woke up with a jerk and took in my surroundings as I tried to forget the dream, I sat up and looked around the room and realized slowly where I was and tried not to cry. Instead I sagged back into the mattress and buried my face in my hands, giving myself some time to stop shaking and looked over at my favorite sleepyhead in the universe and smiled. He sighed in his sleep, and his chest rose and fell with his rhythmic breath as I watched and he shifted a bit, his long fingered hand was above his head and gently curled with the palm up as he settled again.

It was predawn outside, and the fireplace had burnt down to coals and embers as the pale, gray light flooded through the windows and I rested my face on my hand and sighed looking at him. I shifted and traced one of his eyebrows with my fingertip, I traced the arch, and then gently smoothed his forehead under my hand as the muscles bunched in his sleep. He shifted and opened one eye, looking at me quietly and wrapped the hand above his head around mine and kissed the palm. He sighed and looked at me and he smiled softly at me as he caressed my cheek, the pad of his thumb rubbing under my eye gently.

"You have a galaxy in your eyes again." He said and I blinked to try and clear the silvery shimmer that sometimes filled my eyes thanks to the two halves of my soul coming together, it unnerved some people but not him. He would stare into them and watch the shimmer swirl about as I looked back at him and tell me how he could see the universe in them.

"I hate that." I groaned and he frowned at me, holding my face still as he looked down into my eyes as it faded and vanished into my pupils.

"Don't hate it." He said firmly. "It is part of you, and very beautiful." He said and looked at me and I blushed at him, his hand moved a bit of hair out of my face and I sighed.

"Same dream?" He asked me, seeing my expression and frowned a bit as his hand found my shoulder.

"No." I said and shivered. "This one, I died."

He did not say anything, just wrapped his arms around me pulling me close to him and rubbed his hand over my spine as my arms wrapped around him and I shivered again. I had died once, and he had to watch as everyone fought to bring me back from the void. I hoped he would never have to watch that again, but I was afraid to test fate. His arms tightened around me and he buried his nose into the top of my head, and he shuddered thinking about that day himself.

For the moment though, I felt safe.

"We all burn eventually, time guarantees that." I said into his chest and he tightened his grip again and pushed me back into the pillow and propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at me, his stormy blue eyes rimmed in red.

"Not you." Loki said as the traced my lower lip with his thumb. "You will be there when the Universe burns out."

The pulled me close into a kiss and I let him, smiling slyly and feeling very rotten. I rooted my hand under the pillow and yanked it out from under my head and smacked him with it on the back of the head in one smooth movement. He opened his eyes and I giggled as he gave me a grin back as I laughed, arching my head back into the mattress.

"Sneaky Little Mouse." He said and grabbed my wrist before I could swing again and grabbed my side and tickled me before I could react. I grabbed his hand at the wrist and pulled it up over my head, he raised an eyebrow as he twisted his hand around and held my wrist.

"Let me go." I said laughing and he refused, I laughed as he shook his head and I yawned again still waking up.

"Never." he said and I rolled my eyes at him, I hooked an ankle behind his knee and swung myself around on on top of him and stretched my body on top of him, resting my chin on his chest.

"You keep underestimating me because how short I am." I said and dropped the pillow, he released my wrists and put one arm behind his head and he leaned back and looked down at me. I tucked my hands under my chin and shifted my weight so I didn't accidentally smother him.

"It is easy to forget," He said and moved some of my hair out of my face with his index and middle finger, gently as I yawned again and looked up at him, he rested his hand on my shoulder and looked out the window.

"Now what shall we do today?" He asked and I shook my head as I shrugged, unable to think of anything at the moment, and he used his hand to rub the sleep off his face.

"We could make it up, make our own adventure and all that great stuff." I suggested and sat back on his lap and stretched my arms up over my head, he smiled as he watched me.

"I like that idea, but you will need clothes." He said, sitting up and hugging me, and I giggled.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

"Looks like the party is over." I said to Loki as we walked back to my rooms, and it really did. There were people sitting in chairs, nursing hangovers of varying severity and some and some people were still asleep where they collapsed last night. One Guard looked really green around the gills as we passed, Loki watched me patiently as I used a bit of my powers to help him feel better as he swayed on his feet. I touched his shaky hand gently, and he smiled gratefully down at me in thanks. I gave him a kind smile and carefully straightened his helmet as I ignored Loki rolling his eyes.

Everyone knew who I was, and I had their respect with the exception of a few people who disapproved of me in general. My birth on Earth, causes them a few problems and I cling to my roots a bit too much at times. Not really a bad thing, sometimes it is nice to hold on to your roots. Human beings crave the familiar, and some habits died hard. Especially the bad habits, as in I am pretty much a dirty mouth with feet who will stand up to anyone who messes with me. But a few of the cooler people here found me likable for the most part, and for the first time in my life I had friends, and they were the ones whose opinions really mattered to me.

I let Loki take my hand and guide me away and we walked together as he looked down at me, his usual public mask hiding the Loki I got in private and I sighed a bit at him. People often asked me how I could stand to be looked down on, and I would laugh at them for their not knowing the guy I got. Hell, when I first met him, I found him creepy as fuck and wanted nothing to do with him myself.

Funny how some people grow on you.

"You were too kind to him." He said as we walked. "Someone should have flogged him for his dereliction."

"He is already sick, why make it worse? Offer succor to those in need, and punish the real crimes out there." I said and smiled up at him, as we walked and I saw him look down at me in curiosity.

"And that means Little Mouse?" He said stopping and looking at me carefully, not quite challenging me but pushing at my belief system as we stood in the hall.

"You know the path I chose, I will not hurt anyone ever again with my powers. You know that I chose to use my gifts to aid." I said and shook my head sadly thinking about the fight on the beach on Oregon again.

"Blood leaves and indelible stain on your soul that may fade, but will never wash away. Never." I finished and he sighed down at me, but still smiled and it made me feel a bit better about lecturing him in the public halls. He knew the guilt that was in me for killing that man, no matter how bad the torturous acts he subjected to got, he was still a living thing. And the death that I caused haunted me still, I may be tough and armor plated but I was still a person down deep.

"I respect that." He said and looked down the hall as a man in a black cloak rounded the corner. He averted his eyes as he passed me politely and I felt utterly naked in the halls, I may be wearing a shift and a robe but I was still a bit too exposed for women around here. He probably figured I was taking the walk of shame after partying too hard myself.

"Please know Little Mouse, there may come a time that you will have no choice but to break your vow. You will be faced with dangers again that may only result in a death, and I would much rather it not be yours." He said, his eyes rimmed in red, I knew he was thinking of how I had died on the same beach and I looked down. Unable to face remembering the story of how he screamed at Clint Barton to keep trying to restart my heart. Part of me knew he was so very right though, I would face someone again, and I would have to kill them to save myself or someone I cared about. I hid my thoughts and sadness at the idea, and hoped I would never have to test the choice I made.

He placed a hand on my back and we started walking again, walking around the corner in the hall and I ended up tripping over the Norse God of Horrible Hangovers. His arm spread out over my head as I stubbed my toe on his bicep and went sprawling. I went down on one knee and swore a bit, and stood back up, using Loki for stability and rubbing my knee. Thor mumbled something completely incoherent into the floor as Loki rolled his eyes at his adopted brother and looked at me kneeling and checking my foot and knee, Thor mumbled into the floor again and I giggled a bit.

"This should be good." I said to Loki and looked down at Thor who groaned and mumbled something else into the floor and we both looked at each other as we tried to decipher what he said.

"I think that was something involving a foot, cheese, a book, and a goat?" Loki said and I shrugged.

"I would like to buy a vowel." I joked down at the back of Thor's head and Loki laughed as behind us Fandral walked up and stopped short as he looked at me. He glared briefly at Loki in his leather pants and green tunic, a brown vest over his clothes and me in my shift and robe. Wrapped in a blanket and looking like I was disheveled from the night before. I groaned at what was coming, because Fandral was a horrible flirt and he did not really care if the woman was interested or not. He was lucky I counted him among my friends though, otherwise I would have really let him have it. Loki on the other hands hated when Fandral flirted with me, and did not hide is jealousy when it happened.

"Good morning Lady Lilliana, you look lovely in this light." Fandral said and groaned, turning green a bit himself as he rubbed his head and braced himself against the wall. I was a bit worried about him, that flirt was only half of what charm he usually used.

"We found Thor." I said and pointed down at the heap of blonde hair and muscles, Thor lifted his hand and gave a weak wave with his wrist still on the floor. Loki looked down somewhat amused with his adopted brother's suffering, and I glared up at him and watched as Fandral slowly slid down to the floor with his back against the wall. He sank to a sitting position on the floor and patted a leg that he assumed was Thor's.

"Thor, dear friend, you have to go to Midgard today." Fandral said and I looked pityingly at Thor as he groaned and covered the back of his head with a massive hand, I felt bad for the big guy.

"If you do go, say hello to everyone for me big guy." I said and he gave me a thumbs up with the hand on the back of his head and mumbled something else into the floor.

"We have to be the intelligent ones in this castle." Loki grumbled and I laughed as I put a blanket over Fandral and Thor as they both returned to their respective painful post party comas. I carefully stepped around the both of them and Thor patted the top of my foot in thanks. He then pulled the blanket over his face to keep his eyes out of the sun as he moaned in pain. Fandral rested his head against a large flower pot and groaned in pain as the sun hit his face and he threw an arm over his eyes to block out the light.

"Poor babies." I said and Loki looked amused. I lifted the blanket and a bit of Thor's hair and he opened one eye at me and squeezed it shut painfully. I smiled at the two of them and threw another blanket over Fandral's head as I stood up and he gave a mumbled thanks for the assistance at keeping the evil sun at bay. I sighed in exasperation at the both of them and rolled my eyes, I debated for about five seconds using my gift to heal them. But their suffering needed to be a lesson.

Loki guided me and we walked on to my rooms and he opened the door for me, my rooms were not as cluttered as Loki's and so much more open. My bed was neatly made and the whole room was dominated by pastels and gold painted wood. A set of large double doors opened onto a private balcony, and the gentle breeze through them carried the scent of jasmine.

I had brought some things from Earth when I visited, and the rest Thor brought back from a list I gave him every time he met with our friends there. Tony Stark sent things for me as well, like the newest fun gadgets with Stark Industries Tech that never needed charging, which was not a bad thing considering that I never could find an adapter for the complete lack of outlets here.

Seriously Asgard, up your Tech Game. And get a Starbucks, get two. Starbucks is pretty awesome.

One Trip back yielded several art prints of Van Gogh's famous paintings that I framed and hung on the walls, and I had a collection of books that I shoved onto chairs, while my room was not cluttered, it was chaotic but no one complained...yet. I did ask Odin if he could have someone build me a cabinet for the books, but one had not been made as of yet.

Aimee appeared looking tired, but still pretty with her mouse brown hair and soft brown eyes, she had become a good friend over the last two years and I looked at her as more than just my Chambermaid. She swayed a bit and she rubbed her face gently as I looked at her concerned, but she still tried to perform her duties as assigned. She leaned against the post of the bed and sighed as she tried not to spill the tray of food she carried, setting it down by some miracle on the table next to the couches and sighed.

"Aimee, are you sick?" I asked her as she sat down on the couch and I walked over and took her hand as I sat down next to her. She smiled at me and looked sad at making me concerned about her, but I would always worry about my friends though.

"No Lady," She said and groaned a bit as I squeezed her hand and gave her a look that told her I knew she was lying to me.

"Perhaps a bit." She added and looked down shamefully, and I smiled at her and put my hand up to her face, using a bit of my powers to help her to feel better, and she instantly perked up under my touch. Her eyes regained their sparkle, and she sighed at me and looked ashamed again, I held her hand and hugged her to show I was not upset.

"Next time, don't celebrate so hard." I said to her and Loki gave a derisive snort, I sighed at him and gave him a look as he jutted his chin up in his usual way and I rolled my eyes at him. He stood quietly as he watched us both converse, his hands behind his back and I knew that with Aimee present, he would keep his mask up.

She stood up and gave him a small bow, and I nearly told her not to but decided against it. Loki was raised under the expectations of a Prince, but had been stripped of his title for some time thanks to a little event on Earth and an alien invasion. He claimed to be relatively at peace with his title now, but I could sometimes see he wanted more and it scared me at times to think about what would happen if I had to stand between him and his goals.

Aimee walked behind the screen to prepare my bath as I put my phone in the dock for the speakers on the desk I was given as a gift from Odin a few months ago after selecting Runaway by The National, Loki sat down on the couch and looked at the collection of prisms that hung from one window over my growing collection of Glassybaby candle holders. I had amassed so many in the multitude of shades and colors, that I had a rainbow of my own in each window sill. They were nice and the light from the rising sun shone through them and gave them an inner glow that really made everything look more cheery.

"She would have loved those vessels." Loki said and pointed at the glass containers, talking about Frigga, his dead adopted mother and smiled sadly thinking about her. He showed me a statue of her once, and I remember telling him that I thought she was so very beautiful, with kind eyes and a smile that only a mother could ever achieve. He approved of my assessment of her, and told me stories about how she could make you feel like the most important person in the universe by just waving at you. I smiled back at him as I turned and he looked at me, and pointed up to my eyes to remind me that the shimmer was back silently.

I blinked and it cleared away. He knew I hated it, but he loved it, or so he said he did. Sometimes I wondered if he loved the power that was in me more, sometimes the thought of asking for the answer to my curiosity scared me more.

"I would have given them all to her if she wanted them." I said and he smiled at me as I walked behind the screen for my bath, and to get dressed for the day.

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Leonie Ezora Mentoumbu had grown up quite a bit since leaving Haiti, becoming a strong young woman of her own rights. She was young by the standards of her beliefs to become a Bokor in the practice of Voudou, but she was in no means a novice in the art. She was a woman of great power, and devoted the last few years to strict study, learning everything she could in the art of both Light and Dark Magicks, and held no fear of any person as her thick curls trailed down to her shoulders in the sticky New Orleans heat. Her loose fitting dress covered a well toned body, that she kept in perfect condition through discipline and training. In her brown messenger bag, she carried a book that never left her side, along with several empty jars and a poppet filled with Goofer Dust. But none of it weighed her down as she walked lightly on the sidewalk the heels of her low shoes clicking on the pavement.

Papa Legba was good to her, and had lead her so very kindly to her next target. Her smile was sly and she paid close attention to the details of the person she followed as the Loa guided her along. The man she followed along the street did not seem like anything important, he was young and his spirit was strong, but for some reason the Loa had deemed him important enough for her to meet her goals. She needed certain types of souls, and their common link was hidden even to her.

The Loa saw him though, and the ghosts of New Orleans turned their heads to look at the man as they both walked the sultry streets. His soul was a beacon to the ghosts, and they flocked to him for its warmth. He was completely unaware how important he was to the woman who followed him as he glanced down at his phone, his distracted mind somewhere far away.

She needed his blood, and his soul to fill the Ouanga she had carefully made weeks before.

It was the only way she would possess the Sword of the Dargumiin, the only way she could change the world and take it back from evil men.

They both turned a corner and walked past an open doorway leading down into the basement of a building and she found her chance. She slipped the either soaked rag from her pocket and made her move quickly. She grabbed the man by the shoulders and pressed it over his nose and mouth, holding it tight and his breathing became panicked and ragged, soon it slowed and became calm as he lost consciousness, falling back against her his body sagging to the pavement.

The man groaned a bit when she kicked him to test if he was really unconscious, and he did not even shift as she lifted him by the shoulders and began pulling him toward the open door. She yanked him into the room, closing the door behind her and began working quickly. Using chalk to create her circle, dragging the man into the center of it and splashing his body in whiskey from a bottle. She raised the bottle to her lips, and spit it into the air to give a gift to the Loa, and smiled.

She tore the man's shirt open and used a long hat pin to attach the Ouanga over the center of his soul. The violence of the pin breaking through the two items caused the man to shift and moan and she pressed the rag over his nose and mouth again to ensure he did not try to escape her, forcing him deeper into black unconsciousness. Leonie then placed the jars at the cardinal directions, and opened them all. She pulled a drawstring bag up over her head and a knife. She began her chant and held her hands over her head, calling the soul of her sacrifice into the talisman in the center of his chest. He twitched and jerked about as the soul left his body and watched as he went still, indication that the soul was trapped in her small creation.

She pulled the Copperhead Snake out of the bag and held it up over her head as she decapitated it with her knife, letting the blood drip down over the prone man, and placed the poppet at his feet. Raising her hands again to call the Loa to her to fill the jars with his blood. A wind filled the room and she called louder for his blood to be hers.

Her pale blue eyes sparkled in her success and the man died slowly, the jars filling and she smiled in the dark room. The man died, shuddering and shaking against the floor as the whiskey and snake blood evaporated into a mist around him.

She broke her circle, and collected her jars, putting the snake into the bag to be dropped into a river later. She tightened the lids on the jars, and put them into her bag. The Ouanga was put into a velvet pouch with thirteen others and she left quickly through the door and out onto the streets to vanish into the night.

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Sarah Baker found the body, the 72 year old retiree was looking for her damn cat. He had gone out, and she wanted him back in before she went to bed for the night. She heard a meow from the doorway and walked through to find her cat playing with a strange looking doll on the floor, she weak flashlight pinning the pet with the beam as she walked into the basement laundry room.

"Baxter, you silly cat, what do you have there hun?" She said as her hand found the light switch and flipped the light on and blinked down at the corpse, her scream getting choked in her throat as she stood shaking in the room.

She screamed louder and louder until someone on the street walking by heard her and ran toward her. Her eyes fixed as she clutched her chest, the cat on he lap as she cried out for help in her shock.

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Black SUVs lined the streets in front of the tenement house, and people were gathered on the other side of the yellow tape that blocked off the street around the entrance to the building. They stretched and craned their necks as Nick Fury got out of one of the cars to walk through the humid morning, an elderly woman was sitting in the back of an ambulance clutching her cat and crying. Shock having set in long ago and giving way to sadness and grief.

It was going to be a long damn day.

"Victims name is Robert Paulsen, medical student." Coulson filled him in as he walked. "No one can figure out the how he was killed, but a clue has been left."

His long time friend and subordinate took in a deep breath as he pointed down at the doll resting near the dead man's feet as they both walked through the door and into the laundry area of the building, soon kids would be using this place to tell ghost stories, scaring each other as they talked about the man who was murdered in the building. All the facts would be biased on rumor and shared guesses. Stories about the guy killed in a drug hit, they never found the bags of heroin he carried but the place still smells of gunfire if you breathe in just the right ways.

Today, it was a crime scene, and would remain such until he deemed all evidence collected.

Coulson walked off and Fury looked down at the bloodless corpse and then glared at the Agent who nervously tried to lift the doll to put it into a bag. As he looked at the doll his arm hairs raised in an involuntary reaction as it was photographed, he got a sick feeling in his stomach. His mind tuning into the nagging suspicion Tony put there a day ago, getting a secondary feeling he was looking at the wrong suspects as he turned and walked back onto the street for fresh air.

He tightened his jaw and took out his cell, scrolling through his contacts and called Tony Stark. The sardonic voice of his friend started droning into his ear and he took in a breath to keep his cool.

"This is the voicemail of..."

"Fourteen Stark, cut the shit." Fury said and there was a pause for a moment as he waited for the man to react.

"Same M.O?" Tony asked, sounding interested.

"Yes, are you still seeing Thor today?" Fury asked and Tony laughed a bit at something he found funny.

"Yeah, he just arrived and he is hung over, you should see him. Somebody got hammered last night, and not by his primary weapon of choice." Tony laughed again and Fury took in a breath as he tried again to not loose his calm.

"I really don't care if he is dying on the floor. Tell him that we need to see his brother, and his little student here ASAP." Fury growled and ground his teeth at the thought of even asking Loki for help with this case, and his blood pressure skyrocketed at the thought of him being back on the planet but he needed insight. He hoped he was not making a mistake.

"Yay, Hogworts needs to send Slytherin back," Tony said into the phone heavy on the sarcasm. "Did you wake up in a weird mood or something today?"

Fury looked back at the door and the agent handed him the doll, now sealed in an evidence bag, and regarded it with disgust. His hand tightened over it and he scowled down at the horrible thing in his hand as if it were something very dirty, his mind not completely understanding why he hated it so much. He dropped it into a box as every item was recorded in case it was something that could be used later and memory cards were removed from cameras and sealed into envelopes and he tried his best to ignore the coroner as they walked by with an empty gurney, a body bag neatly folded on it to perform it's grim task.

"Let me put it this way, and feel free to stop me if you don't understand anything of my next statement Stark. This case frightens me, and I have the distinct feeling that all of us may be way over our heads on this one. As much as I abhor the idea of bringing Loki and this girl back to Earth, I am willing to take a calculated risk with the two of them. So have them return if Thor has to drag them both back kicking and screaming." He said and tightened his hand around the phone, hearing the plastic creak in protest as he spoke.

"And we get to be assigned as babysitters, Bruce and I really love our jobs some days." Tony replied.

"Not just you and Bruce, Steve Rogers will be in on this as well." Fury said as the coroners walked back by with the now full gurney, loading the corpse into the back of the van and closing the doors.

"Great the boy band is getting back together." Tony replied and Fury took in a breath, fighting the urge to swear.

"Yes it is, and be sure you cut them a very sweet deal for their cooperation. Use the girl as leverage if you have to, she may be the key to controlling the universe's biggest asshole. Make sure you inform them of my terms, and ensure you use small words, we don't want any confusion." Fury said, and turned in irritation as a young agent retched into a garbage can in the alley behind him, coughing and arching his back as he bent over.

"What are the terms of this deal exactly?" Tony asked and paused, his voiced laced with concern.

"Our exact deal is that we purge her juvenile record, everything. And we allow her to continue to enjoy her freedom. Throw in his record as well if he chooses to cooperate, I am sure the girl gets homesick from time to time." Fury said and glared at the agent again for loosing his professional calm.

"You have read that record right? When she was twelve, she hacked into the Pentagon and inserted a virus that nearly exposed every nuclear launch code in existence. She claimed in court she did it because she needed help and faster servers to complete her schoolwork. I am amazed that the feds even allowed her near a land line telephone after that." Tony replied and laughed sardonically. "She is a genius, but having her back here is also a very bad idea thanks to what she is. Every time she sets foot outside of Asgard, she rings the cosmic dinner bell for any race that wants to take her and use her."

"My deal stands, if she succeeds, we purge everything. And we put him on probation, house arrest if you will." Fury said and watched the Agent straighten up from his vomiting, smoothing his tie.

"And if they fail?" Tony asked.

"She goes to the deepest, darkest hole in a super max prison and never sees the light of day for eternity for aiding and abetting a known terrorist. Her record alone will help me to convince any judge to keep her in solitary confinement." Fury replied and Tony laughed into his receiver.

"You forget what she can do, she will just escape and jump planet again."

"Not if the little bitch is a vegetable in a medically induced coma." Fury said and disconnected the phone angrily, glaring at the young Agent again for loosing his cool.

Fury looked up at the sky, and then back down at the doll in the box, his skin crawled at the thing but he resisted cringing as Coulson walked up with another evidence bag. He held up the sealed piece of gauze and showed him the red to pink stains on the carefully collected sample of blood.

"We found blood, our killer is getting sloppy." He said, smiling as he bent to put it in the box, he covered the doll with the bag and stood back up with his report.

"We will have the lab run it for every possible trace of DNA, the boys are going to love everything we bring them. Stark going to inform Thor?"

"He is," Fury responded as another agent sealed the box with row after row of bright red strapping tape, probably using more than what was needed, his phone alerted him to an incoming email, and he glanced down at the sender and put the Samsung into his pocket as both men stared at the idling Coroner's Van. It pulled away, and Fury knew that their day was not over either. They would be making phone calls to the next of kin, scrambling to find local grief councilors, and offering kind words in the families time of loss.

A tableau that played out time and time again as humanity fell further and further apart around them and the age of compassion ended violently.

"Is this really a good idea?" Coulson asked and opened the door of an SUV for Fury. "This seems like we are using more radiation to put out a reactor fire."

Fury sat down in the drivers seat of his vehicle and sighed, looking at his old friend he placed a hand on the man's shoulder and stopped to think about what he was about to do. Threaten a young woman to get some semblance of control over a known terrorist seemed like a bad idea at best, but he was quickly running out of options. And the before mentioned reactor fire needed to be put out before it spread.

"It seems Agent Coulson, that we may have no other choice here." Fury replied as he closed his vehicle door and drove away. As he drove, Fury sighed and brought up his personal Heads Up Display, he used the on board computer to call the intern he had just hired with the hopes of making her a full fledged Agent one day. She face popped up on the windshield, and she looked grim.

"I received an anonymous email concerning the case, it is disturbing." She said and a copy of the video appeared on the windshield, making him slam on the brakes in the middle of the road as he watched in horror as what he hoped to be an elaborate hoax played out in front of him. A car behind him leaned on the horn and drove around him and he ignored the driver flipping him the bird in anger.

"This cannot be happening." He said and looked at it.

"All the other information received in the other files show this to be legitimate Sir." She said and looked pale as he watched. "The situation has escalated, we may need more hands on deck for his."

"Forward everything to me, I will be in touch." He said and closed the video, he sighed and shook as he gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

It was going to be a series of very long days.

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The horse was pounding fill tilt through the field, kicking up grass and dirt in its wake as I rode forward. My pursuer on my heels as I leaned close to the animal, my thighs gripping down on it as I glanced over my shoulder and gritted my teeth. I pushed Aertimis on, and she galloped as if every demon of the wilds were on her scent, the tail of my mauve silk riding coat flaring behind me. I dug my heels into her again and the flared sleeves of the coat fluttered gracefully as we splashed through a stream, running toward the edge of some woods. I urged the horse on as I heard the second rider gaining on me and I focused ahead, my gloved hands tightening on the reins as I rode forward.

Aimee, in her usual style, insisted on braiding my long hair and twisting it into and elaborate bun at the base of my skull, and I tolerated it this morning as I sat in front of my vanity. She pinned everything back using a filigree comb with elaborate scroll work, and I was grateful for the style now. My pursuer was getting closer, and my hair was not in my face, getting in my way as I shouted at the horse to run faster.

I heard the other rider hot on my tail, inching closer and could hear him urging the horse on. I gave Aertimis another kick and the chestnut mare ran ahead faster. I gained some distance between myself and my pursuer, reaching the boundary of the woods first and cheered as I slowed the horse to a trot. My arms were in up in the air as I laughed and I let the horse came to a complete stop to rest from the exertion. My heart was hammering in my chest as I turned to watch Loki arrive next to me, slowing his horse and pulling his own black horse around to bring it along side me. His eyes sparkled at me as I laughed at him, and teased him by sticking my tongue out at him.

"I win." I laughed out at him. "Pay up slow poke!"

He smiled at me, and gripped his reins in his hands, and looked at me with a touch of arrogance. He produced a coin in his gloved hand and held my hand out for it as he laughed and placed it in my palm, his fingers wrapping around my wrist quickly and pulled me close to him and pressed a kiss onto my lips, making me blush.

"In all fairness," He said as his fingers traced my jaw. "You horse carries a lighter burden."

I smiled and rested my hand over his, and he pulled back, his fingers whispering over my cheek and he looking at me as I recovered from the contact with an amused smile. I slipped the coin into my pouch and sat back as he looked at me, and I laughed at him as the sun caught on my face and made me blink. He looked up at the sky and then back at me, and I closed my eyes for a half second to protect myself from the glare when he leaned in for another kiss and I giggled again.

"Sneak." I scolded him and slapped at his arm ineffectively, he gave me a side long glance and leaned forward onto the horse as we let the poor animals rest.

"I do not think I will ever grow tired of that smile, and the way you blush." He said and I laughed openly, my brain turned to mush at the compliment and I turned in my saddle to face him.

"Good," I said, sitting up straight in my saddle and raising an eyebrow. "Because I am extremely territorial Magic Dance."

A yawn sneaked out of me suddenly and he looked at me as my eyes watered, I turned the horse so the sun was not in my eyes and irritating me and relieving my need to blink. I was getting tired, we spent the whole morning riding and I had not gotten much sleep over the last couple of days. We began riding back to the castle and I sighed openly, peeking over at him out of the corner of my eye and caught him looking at me and burst out laughing.

"Some may argue that you are the sly one Little Mouse, clever and always finding holes in a man's armor." He said to me and I remembered a time that it annoyed me to no end that he called me that, I literally had to fight myself to keep from punching him every time he opened his mouth. I thought he was picking on me for being short, turns out it was just a pet name that he claimed fit me. Now I knew better, whenever he used my given name, he was annoyed or angry with me. Otherwise it was Precious One, or Little Mouse, sometimes it was even other platitudes that I couldn't repeat in polite conversation.

I raised my eyebrows at him, smiling at his joke and gave him another swat on the arm.

"Any why would anyone say something like that?" I asked and he smiled as me as we found the well worn dirt road and turned down it to follow it back. I felt at ease out here, away from the constant gossip, and the giggles of the maids and courtiers that constantly followed me as I wandered the halls.

"I can think of at least a million reasons." Loki replied. I couldn't help but laugh at him and he looked over at me, his face becoming serious as we quietly rode along. He looked like he was struggling to say something to me, but couldn't find the right words to express what he wanted. I watched him and never pushed when he got like this. Whatever it was, he would figure it out later. I guess you could say our relationship was weird that way, but what relationship is normal after all?

Who doesn't have their own hangups as well?

Show me a person without hangups and I will call you a liar.

I put my hand over on his arm and he looked at me gratefully, I gave him my Mona Lisa smile and I knew that my eyes shimmered again in that moment because he looked ahead. I understood being emotionally constipated all too well, and sometimes I completely sucked at the touchy feeley stuff as well. I let my hand rest on his arm, and he sighed some and focused ahead on the road.

"Don't worry about it." I said and he put his hand over mine and smiled at me, his eyes finding mine and he grinned.

"Your eyes are doing it again." He said and I groaned in annoyance.

"I wish it would stop, it is getting really annoying, having violet eyes is weird enough." I said again and blinked to make it stop.

"It may fade with time." He said and pushed a low branch from a tree out of his way. "I rather like it, it makes you even more unique."

"Thanks, I will try to remember that when people are trying not to look at me because of it." I quipped out and I sighed at him in annoyance. My horse gave a grunt and I laughed as she snorted again under me.

"She agrees with me." Loki said and I laughed, thinking of something new to talk about.

"So, now that there is a treaty, when do I get to go to Jotunheim?" I asked and Loki snapped his head around to look at me in shock, pulling the reins from my hands and stopping both horses. He took in a deep breath and sat back on his horse and glared.

"Don't suggest or even make a joke of that," He said, waving a warning finger at me.

"Loki..." I started, but he cut me off.

"There are still dangers there I would never expose you to and you are very foolish to think such things." He said, putting the reins back into my hands and he sighed looking at my wide eyes and I looked back down at my hands. We started back on our way quietly and he must have seen me scratching nervously as the back of my hand, because he reached over and put his long fingered hand over mine to stop me.

"I am sorry my Little Mouse." He said softly and I turned my hands in his and smiled softly.

He knew about my father and how he mentally and physically abused me, blaming me for the death of my mother in childbirth. He knew how he would get drunk and pound me around for just being alive, and how my happiest memory of my entire childhood was of the month before my father died. He had stayed sober for an entire month, and the horrible fall from the wagon for him one Halloween night when dad crawled into a bottle and wrecked the car ejecting me into the night. He left me an orphan and unwanted by anyone, and I blamed myself further because of how I never could fully trust anyone after the way I was treated.

Fast forward several years, and you have Michael, the guy who introduced me to the world of running drugs. I ended up basically fearing for my life through those years not only from Michael, but my employer. But Michael made everything so much worse. He was just like my father, getting drunk and taking his anger on the world out on me. He got drunk one night and tried to rape me, lucky for me, he passed out before he could get my pants off. I left the next day and swore off men, until I met Loki, and he found a way into my personal Great Wall of China.

My whole life had been rejection or pain, and then I found acceptance.

I still have the been there, done that attitude...and the tattoo to prove it.

Yes I have a tattoo of a Cherokee Rose on my right hip, it was a wonderful starting point of discussion for everyone from Asgard who saw it two years ago on the streets of Seattle. And it reminded me to never wear a midriff top with low rise jeans ever again, otherwise I would be explaining it to everyone I crossed paths with in the future. Some people found it really odd here in Asgard, with the exception of Loki. He sort of accepted it as a part of me, and sometimes as we lay together in bed, he would trace his fingers over the black outline, fascinated by how the ink stood out from my pale skin.

"You are blushing." He said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked at him and he was giving me a sly smile, I blushed deeper and gave him a playful slap on the arm. He looked back at me, and shot me a look of warning and I ignored it.

"Don't stare at me and you won't see me blush." I said and he laughed as he looked at me and I laughed at him.

"I am enjoying the view." He quipped, rolling his eyes at me. "And if you were someone else, I would be annoyed with you for slapping at me."

"Remind me to be afraid later, right now I am way too tired to care." I said and laughed at him, knowing I had gotten his goat from the stern look he gave me.

"I would hate for you to insult the wrong person." He said and smiled again. "You do have the habit of being too free with your thoughts."

"You would find me boring Magic Dance." I said and he looked at me again in surprise of how I spoke, his eyes growing wide and I laughed.

"Possibly, but you would find another way to keep my interest. Women have that gift." He replied. I sighed as the road began to change from hard packed dirt to cobblestones, knowing that once again, we were nearing the city. Back to the castle where among the Asgardians who would stare and whisper, speculating about everything the two of us did, or did not do.

We made our way through the city and people, as expected, stopped and looked up at us and waved. I was still celebrated and everyone was enamored by me, I raised my hand politely and waved back to them. Loki stared straight ahead with his back stiff and straight, not giving any indication that he had noticed them at all. I was sad for him because he knew he had no favor here, despite Thor and I reporting his involvement in saving the West Coast of the United States and most of the Pacific Ring of Fire from the disaster of the century. But people were more judgmental here, Screw up once and you are a monster, despite saving millions of lives in the future.

I forgave his flaws however, and his sins. I hoped it was enough for him but I sometimes doubted that myself. I could just be the biggest idiot in the universe and most likely grasping at straws.

A blonde haired little girl ran up to me and stretched her chubby hands up and I smiled down at her, letting my fingers play with hers as I leaned over to pat her head. He father in his blacksmith's apron lifted her up so I could lean close to her and kiss her rosy cheek. The girl smiled at me and I used my powers to make her a little blue bird in my hand and she giggled and clapped her hands in delight as I made it sing for her and fly about. I allowed it to fly around the square, changing into a beautiful red and purple peacock that glided aground and landed, fanning out its tail in display and many people looked at the beautiful creature and sighed. The little girl smiled and waved to me as her father carried her back to his shop, I made the bird disappear and her little hands wrapped around his neck and her eyes sparkled at me.

"That child will remember that for a long time." Loki said coolly. "She was delighted by your kindness, and was touched by the Illenderial.

I smiled and waved to a group of children who were watching the bird in wonder and giggled loudly at it, one young girl pointed at us and whispered to her friend behind a cupped hand, the both of them blushing and giggling as we passed.

"Buddha teaches us that thousands of candles can be lit from the flame of a single candle, and that the life of the original candle will not be shortened from the sharing of the flame. Happiness and joy is never diminished by being shared openly." I said and Loki looked forward calmly as we came to the castle gates. I think he accepted my philosophies as being another part pf me, but sometimes I could never really tell what he was thinking, he was just so damn hard to read at times and it frustrated me.

"Is this why you share so much with me?" He asked me, making me smile as we passed under a high archway into the courtyard in front of the castle. I carefully swung my leg around and used my arms to lower myself from Aertimis as a guard brought over a stool for me to step down onto, not being part tree was a pain at times. I gave the pretty horse a scratch on her chin and she gently nuzzled my hand as I ran my gloved hand over her nose. She snorted at me as I handed the lead over to the Stable Boy, turning to see a Page appear in the doorway and sighed.

"Oh Hel." Loki said as the boy walked up and handed over his own lead, glancing apologetically at me and returning to the boy as I looked down.

"It's O.K. This treaty is important and you are needed. I am not going anywhere." I said and he looked back at me as I put my hand on his arm, he glared at the boy and I gave his arm a squeeze.

"I promised you the day. I will not break my word." Loki said through gritted teeth as the boy stood in front of him nervously, he looked at me and I smiled at him.

"The Allfather requires the presence of Lady Lilliana Rose and yourself sir, he is in the Council Chambers. It is very important that you both come." The Paige said and Loki looked at me surprised as the boy stood by waiting for my response. I took a patient breath and shook my head in confusion.

"Why me?" I asked the boy and he looked at me, his blonde, curly hair ruffling in the breeze as he carefully chose his words. It was evident he did not want to offend either of us, and that he was nervous of Loki.

"I do not know the reason for this request Lady, I was only tasked with finding you both." The boy replied and glanced at the both of us as we stood in the yard.

"Thank you, please tell him we will be there soon." I said and the boy bowed to me politely, hurrying off at a good pace as we both watched him vanish through the doors. I looked nervously at Loki and reached out to take his hand, but he pulled away from me as he looked at the doors.

"What does Odin want?" He said and glared at the castle, his head turning to face me as I blinked at him nervously. My hands began scratching at one another, and despite my having gloves on, he separated my hands gently reminding me that my nervous tic had come to the surface again. Odin knew, thanks to the constant gossip around the castle about Loki and I, and had alluded to the knowledge of the relationship but never really showed that it was a problem in his eyes. I was beginning to think that he accepted the choices that I made, but with Odin, you could never be too sure what he was thinking. He could show that he was pleased with something, but really be disapproving of it in his mind.

"Well, we could just go and see what he wants." I said and Loki looked at me sighing. "Maybe it is nothing."

"Let us hope." He replied as we started walking forward.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana. One Week Ago:

Stephen Johanasson hated the humidity, he hated the way it made the scars from the surgeries to build him a new face itch. He hated the way the sweat felt along his hairline and he flexed his mouth, testing the muscles under the skin to see if they still worked and was pleased to see they did. The constant drone of cicadas in the background around him was annoying as well, and he felt a burning hate well inside him as he looked around the swamp. A mosquito landed on the back of his hand and drilled into it in search of for its next meal, as a trickle of sweat began dotting his brown hairline again, threatening to ruin his perfectly styled hair.

He wanted to be back in his nice, cool lab, surrounded by clean air filters and the complex lines of genetic code that he loved pondering over as he worked. His wonderfully sterile lab, void of any contaminants from the outside world. This filth filled world that deserved none of his attention, yet he profited so handsomely from. The lab was his sanctuary, a place where he gingerly nurtured new viruses, letting them grow and live as he tested them to see what wonderful plagues he could create. Limited only by his imagination, his own personal monsters, his glorious and deadly children.

Born to kill and infect, multiplying and thriving under his care.

His dark blue eyes focused on the irritating thing in the back of his hand and he slapped it quickly, making his personal guards jump to attention at the sudden sound in the quiet. As a former Hydra researcher, he was a genius. But now he was a defector, running constantly because he found better pay in making people sick and conveniently curing them with his developed medicines. He made billions when the last three flu seasons carried a viral lode that responded to the cure his pharmaceutical company developed and patented after a few thousand deaths occurred. His virus and his medicines of course, and he came out the celebrated hero.

Of course, no one had ever thought to lift the curtain and see the face behind Ghemma Pharmaceuticals, and no one ever would. He made sure of that, labeling himself the reclusive hero of Big Pharma. Hiding behind his false persona and the even more carefully constructed facade of humility, and ensuring through careful planning that no one ever thought to seek him out for an interview. He preferred the lack of attention though, the less showboating he went out for, the better his company was looked upon by the public as well. So unlike Stark and his need for constant accolades and fanfare, the man was a joke in all eyes.

Stephen neatly dabbed the sweat away, and did his best to ignore the humid air that threatened to wrinkle his suit. His patience was wearing thin, but he would continue to wait for the woman he had agreed to make this deal with.

Shortly, a van pulled up and the slender Haitian woman he was doing such deals with got out of it, her dark brown curly hair bounced and her ice blue eyes surveyed the scene. She carefully studied each man cautiously and produced an envelope from her dress pocket, handing it to Stephen. He took it calmly and looked at her. She was a very beautiful woman, but scary as hell in his eyes and he openly admired the face that hid such callous cruelty.

"Is the K Ap Viv Lanmo Virus ready?" She asked him, crossing her arms in front of her as he slipped the envelope into an inside pocket on his suit jacket. She sized him up briefly and he smiled at her politely and tilted his head slightly in his own assessment of her.

"Generation seven is perfected, ten seconds from exposure to death and another minute to the completion of the cycle. The Prions we introduced to this strain guarantee he host reanimates and continues to spread the infection. Repeating the cycle until the virus has spread, I am quite proud of the results Leonie. I am also sure that you will be very pleased with them as well my dear." He said and motioned for one of the guards to bring him the tablet he had loaded the video onto before the meeting, taking it gingerly and turning it to face her as he tapped the play icon on the screen.

A man came into view, he was Middle Eastern in descent and was in the throes of full panic as he fought against the chains with his arms above his head. He begged his captors in Farsi for his life and wept, a cold faced tech walked into the frame with a syringe. Ignoring his pleas for mercy and injecting the man roughly with the contents. Instantly, the man began to jerk and convulse as K Ap Viv Lanmo attacked his central nervous system, the prions implanting into his brain and spinal fluid as the man convulsed and tried to breathe. Seizures made his muscles spasm and his mouth foam as the primary viral infection shut down his respiratory system and the mad died suddenly and went limp in his bonds. The techs backed away and another living man, restrained on a gurney was pushed into the room and the door was sealed from the outside as the dead man on the wall began experiencing involuntary muscle spasms, his arms and legs twitching as the base electrical impulses shot from his brain and down into his dead limbs.

Explosive bolts in the chains fired, freeing the dead man and he collapsed to the ground in a disjointed heap. Slowly the mass of twitching arms and legs found coordination and stood up as the man restrained on the gurney began to thrash against his bonds. A primal scream left the mouth of the newly reanimated zombie as he lunged forward and sank his teeth into the struggling man on the gurney. The virus worked its horrible duty again as she watched, detached and emotionless from the cycle of violence and death that played out in front of her. Stephen looked down at the screen like a proud parent showing a friend the first steps his child took, the video ended and he darkened the screen and handed the tablet back to the guard as the other one brought forward a brushed steel case.

"Very impressive." Leonie said and nodded. "This will be greatly helpful in my work. Papa Legba was right in telling me of you."

Her Haitian accent became more evident as she strained to hide her excitement as she spoke to him, and she nodded at the slim case that looked as if it could hold a very expensive pen set in his hands.

"May I introduce you to your greatest weapon in your quest?" he asked her as he opened the case, revealing a syringe carefully nested into a foam rubber bed to keep it from getting damaged in transit. She smiled widely as Stephen and put her hand out on the thin tool in front of her and looked at him with a spark of madness in her eyes.

"One dose, one single dose and it is capable of infecting the entire world." Stephen said and closed the case gently, handing it to Leonie as she quietly took it from his hands and cradled it close to her like someone would hold a kitten. Her thin, calloused fingers stroked the case and she closed her eyes and smiled at him and he shuddered at the darkness in it.

"Thank you." She said to him. "I do not want the end though, I just wish to keep Stark and his friends at a safe distance."

"This should be very helpful to you then my dear, I am happy we could do business together. May I remain in touch with you to ensure that you are satisfied with this deal?" Stephen said and he smiled at her and mopped some more sweat away from his brow.

"Yes, and I wish to show you more gratitude later, when my work is finished." She replied and looked around at the other men. "I have great rewards for you in the future."

He nodded at her as she turned and got back into the van, the ancient vehicle shuddered to a start, the engine protesting as it was forced into gear. She drove away down the old access road, kicking up a cloud of dust in her wake and turned down the bend in the road. The two guards began walking down the dirt trail, one talking into a cell phone as a beautiful white Mercedes pulled up and one of the large men stepped forward to open the door for him. He paused before getting into the vehicle, and looked at the man who opened the door, suffering the humidity a moment more.

"Make sure that Fury is made aware of our friend." He said to the quiet man, and turned a bit, lifting his leg to get into the vehicle.

"The Voudou loving bitch cannot end the world while there is still billions to be made from it. Have our girl inside his circle leak the video and the first site she plans to use, make the files very convincing. And ensure they cannot be traced back to us, get the team on it immediately." The guard nodded silently at him and closed the door as Stephen settled into the leather interior of the car, the large man climbing into the front seat, sending the required files remotely from a server in another country that could not be traced back to him or Ghemma Pharmaceuticals. Their plant close to Fury would get another email sent to her personal one, set up for communication between them both exclusively, with further instructions.

Stephen made himself comfortable in the air conditioned interior, looking out the window thinking about the woman he had just dealt with. As the car glided down the dirt road smoothly, and as the last human beings left the swampland, an alligator eased its body into the humid afternoon sun warmed water and vanished.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki opened the door to the Council Chambers and the six men sat in deep discussion around the table, ignoring us as we entered. Odin held the seat of honor at the head of the table and Thor, who seemed to have recovered from his hangover, looked up at me and gave me a quick smile. We both stood silently until Odin acknowledged us and I neatly pulled my gloves off and folded them in my hands nervously. Thor's quick smile told me that it was nothing horrible, and I felt somewhat relieved at the gesture. He was a good friend and often called me his sister. Some times becoming overly protective of me, and Loki tolerated it because he kept me living and they both agreed that I should be looked out for. He was a big lug, and he had the bad habit of lifting me off my feet when he hugged me, but it was always nice to have someone like him watching my back.

"Would the Lady care to take my seat?" Lord Sventaka offered me politely, his gray beard a stark contrast to his black robes and hands shaking with a touch of palsy as he spoke. I gave him a polite smile as the rest of the men in the room looked up at me, making me feel suddenly scrutinized under their stares. Instinct kicked in and I wanted to hide behind a pillar or Loki for protection, but stood my ground.

"Thank you for the offer sir, but my legs are younger than yours. I will stand." I replied politely and he returned the smile brightly.

"Such a sweet girl." He said and moved a paper closer to him with a shaking hand, forcing his fingers to cooperate as he trembled involuntarily. I blushed and smiled at him. He was a very nice man, and I enjoyed talking to him about the philosophies that I had read over my short years. I spent a day teaching him about numerology, and he was very fascinated by the subject of it and he listened carefully. Once he had mastered it, he began working out charts for everyone, and seeing what he could divine from the information given to him. He was delighted by everything I shared with him, and I liked the old man very much, he was a secondary father figure to me and he was one of the kinder men on the Council.

"That she is." Odin said and looked at the two of us, his remaining eye looking at me softly, and I relaxed completely under his gaze.

"Lady Lilliana Rose, I asked you here at the suggestion of Lord Sventaka and Thor, they believe that you may have some wisdom and insight into out current dilemma." Odin said and handed me a paper, I walked around the the table and took it from him, reading the page in my hands carefully.

"The girl can barely read our language, how can her pretty little mind give any sort of insight into our dilemma?" Lord Raithbourne laughed out, looking at me with his waxy face and licked his yellow teeth. He sneered at me in disgust, but he was right about my barely being able to read the blocky text in front of me on the page.

Loki had been spending a lot of time teaching me how to read and write Asgardian, and the lessons were slow at times. I was currently able to write simple sentences, but I still stumbled over some words as I read them in my mind. It was so much easier to learn Latin, at least with that language I did not have to learn an entirely new alphabet. I did manage not let the sneering old man bother me though, he was angry I existed period and he openly disapproved of Loki and I being allowed to continue what we had. He even went so far as to shove his daughter under Loki's nose in order to make me jealous, it did not work though.

I took my time with the paper in my hand, frowning at it and handed it back to Odin quietly, I thought over what I had read in my head and looked at the King. He opened his hand, inviting me to speak, and I gave a nervous jump at the gesture.

"What are your thoughts?" He asked me and I nodded.

"Why do you want to put such strict restrictions on the Jotun?" I asked softly and Lord Raithbourne chuckled as Loki glared at him openly.

"Do you see my King? She should not worry that pretty little mind over the problems of men send her back to her embroidery and the rooms she fills with pretty dresses and trinkets. She would be much happier there." He said and I looked only at Odin, his eye glaring at the old man at the open insult. Thor raised a finger in warning at the man. I heard Loki take a step forward toward me, but I remained openly calm in the face of the man.

"I value all opinions, and if Thor agrees with Sventaka, then I shall hear your solution to the current stalemate presented here. We must have an agreeable treaty after all." Odin replied and rested his closed hands on the table as all the men in the room looked at me. I sighed and looked up at the man who ruled and offered me open protection against all those who were hunting me throughout the universe.

"I would not put such strict restrictions on the Jotun." I said and everyone in the room gaped at me in silent awe for disagreeing with the Council.

"It makes sense you would not." Raithbourne hissed out and looked at Loki openly. I turned my head and looked at Loki as well as voices became heated in the room, and I calmed myself and gathered my thoughts as Odin cut off the din with a single gesture.

"Why do you take that opinion child?" He asked me and the rest of the room looked at me, Thor looking at me with great interest and smiling at me.

"A man on Earth once wrote that: it is just as difficult and dangerous to try to free a people that wants to remain servile as it is to enslave a people that wants to remain free. These restrictions you wish to place in effect would enslave the Jotun to Asgard. It is not the place of this realm to make slaves of the other Nine Realms, but to offer them aid should it be needed. Arrogance in this treaty will cause it to fail, and bring on more hostilities toward Asgard. Not only from the Jotunheim, but also from the other Nine Realms." I said to all the men in the room, the looked at me and blinked at what I had just said. Nervously, I began to scratch at the back of my hand, and Odin looked at me opened mouthed, I was beginning to think I had made a huge mistake in saying anything. Thor nodded seriously, and regarded me with a quiet smile.

Loki cleared his throat and I realized that I was scratching my hand again, I hid the nervous tic by folding my hands neatly over my stomach and looked at the Council afraid to speak further.

"I like her, she is level headed." Lord Sventaka said happily and chuckled to himself and the men sitting around the large table nodded with the exception of Raithbourne.

"Your opinion is very wise Child, and very valid." Odin said and smiled at me, I looked at him shocked and blushed a bit at his compliment.

"Put a crown on her head then," Raithbourne groaned and glared at me. "She can see then how far her pretty thoughts will go to save her."

Riathbourne had started hating me from our first meeting, and made his continued feelings about me no secret. He thought I was a passing thing, and every day that passed where I was talked about, irritated him more. It made me think that he made open comments and insults like that to see me squirm, mentally I beat the hell out of the disgusting man.

"We will have no insults about the Lady Lilliana." Thor said firmly. I gave him a polite smile and one of the men at the table looked at the Allfather and took in a breath.

"I am inclined to agree with the girl." He said and smiled at me. "Her argument is wise and valid for this situation."

"I agree with her as well." Lord Sventaka said, his hands shaking a bit worse, but his mind remaining clear.

Odin lifted the paper neatly and tore it in half proudly, his smile turned toward me as he did it. The men watched as he gestured toward the pages he was holding and he stood to drop them into the fireplace, he turned again and placed his hands behind his back, thinking as he walked back and returned to his seat quietly.

"This ends that stalemate." Odin said as Thor stood carrying a file folder and a white wrapped box, tied with a gray ribbon and handed the package to me. The telltale signs that Natasha had sent me another Glassybaby as a gift from his trip to the Earth this morning. She always sent me a different one, and I was puzzled as to how she had not sent me a double of a color I already had. He gestured to the folder in his hands, and I frowned at it, worried about what it would say and he put a protective hand on my shoulder and smiled down at me gently.

"This is unpleasant business, but it needs to be addressed." He warned and I handed Loki the box and took the folder from Thor, opening it and recoiling in horror at the pictures inside. I closed it quickly and internally cursed at Thor and SHIELD for all the nightmares I was going to have based on the top photo alone.

Really, sleep is so overrated after all.

"You need to look." Odin said. "You are both being accused for the deaths of thirteen mortals."

I looked at Loki who returned my concern and swallowed, but we both managed to remain calm under the circumstances.

"I can assure you, it was not either one of us." Loki replied as Thor motioned me toward his now vacant seat politely. I sat down at the table and set the file folder filled with horrors in front of me and with a shaking hand, I opened it and began looking at the pictures one at a time. The Council member next to me cringed at the photographs openly and I closed my eyes as I frowned down at the images, fighting the urge to throw them all into the fireplace. Thor passed me a cup of wine and I took a long drink from it, feeling sick with each photograph that I looked at.

"They know not the reason for their deaths, they hope that you can offer insight or surrender to their authorities if you are the beings that caused them." Thor said and I looked back down at the pictures again, searching for any reason for the death before me.

"Is there a connection between the victims?" I asked calmly. "Serial killers sometimes choose their victims for a reason."

Everyone around me looked confused and I sighed openly, knowing I was about to have to explain what I meant to the room.

"Often the victims share some trait, something common that the killer wants to erase from the world. They may go for a certain color of hair, or a occupation that the victims share. It may be also be something completely mundane as they all eat at the same restaurant. We call them Serial Killers because they have this compulsion in them to kill with impunity, the act on their desires to erase the trait and can sometimes go years without getting caught." I explained calmly and turned to the last picture slowly, and stopped as I looked at it closely.

"There was no connection reported to me, with the exception of how they were killed." Thor replied and I looked up at him, setting the photo in my hand face down on the table and folding my hands neatly.

"I can prove it was not Loki, but it will put suspicion on me." I said and everyone looked at me, Loki folded his hands behind his back and looked coolly at me.

"Continue." Odin said and I looked at him.

"What do you know of Voudou?" I asked Loki and his eyebrows pinched together as he looked at me.

"An odd word." He said and looked at me, catching on to what I was doing and tilting his head toward me in challenge.

"Can you tell me how to make a Poppet, or what ingredients go into Goofer Dust?" Loki shook his head quietly and I continued in my line of questioning, proving that he was not the one responsible for the horrible deaths. Fearing also that I was going to be held at blame for this.

"Can you read the Tarot, or tell me who Papa Legba is? What about the use of Red Brick Dust or Black Salt?" I questioned and the men around the table looked at me to see the point I was coming to.

"What are you speaking of Lady?" Odin asked and I picked up the picture of the Voudou Doll and showed it to the men around the table. They all looked at the photo and Raithbourne regarded it with disgust.

"A child's toy, strange but you failed to make any point." Raithbourne said and turned to the man next to him who glared at him in annoyance.

"Voudou is a religious practice on Earth steeped in superstition and Ritual Magick, they believe in multiple Gods or forces. But unlike Wicca, the practitioners do not believe in the Laws of Three. The guidelines that states whatever energies you put out into the universe come back to you, but three fold."

"This is not a child's toy, it is a Poppet. A magickal doll made by the practitioner to represent the person who you want to either curse or heal. The Bokor, or sorcerer who used this is controlling Papa Legba, the Loa or God who is believed to act as an intermediary between the human world and the other Gods." I said and watched as Loki licked his lips slowly, regarding me with interest.

I pointed at the symbol embroidered on the dolls torso and everyone looked closely at it as I took in a long breath. Raithbourne sat back and smiled cruelly at me, I then had the sudden feeling he was thinking something to use against me but I carefully thought out my next words before speaking.

"The symbol is the one that represents Papa Legba. Usually in the rituals for Poppet Magick, you would sew something of the person inside it and then work the spell. A piece of hair, or a nail clipping." I said and used my power to create the symbols that the people of Earth used to represent the various Gods throughout the ages. Crosses, Ankhs, and the Norse Symbol for Odin floated above the table, and I looked up at them.

"But you do not have either hair or nail clippings from a Deity, so you use their symbol. Because names and symbols is power alone in some practices of Ritual Magick. You can use the symbol of the Deity to evoke them, or bend their will depending on the Magick. A good practitioner will use the God or Goddesses influence and power to add force to their works, and to bring more strength to their ritual works." I said and made the symbols vanish one by one, holding up the picture of the carefully drawn pentagram in chalk on the ground where one body was found.

"These people were not just murdered, they were sacrificed." I said and the room went dead quiet and a few of the Council Men shifted in their chairs uncomfortably as they looked at me.

"Are you saying that, this mortal may be able to control even us?" Thor asked and Loki looked at me in concern.

"Possibly." I said and took another deep breath. "But most likely they will focus on the African of Voudou counterparts. Anansi, for example, the Trickster God who enjoys spinning stories or Shingo the God of Storms. Even Baron Samedi, who controls Guinee, their version of the afterlife." I sighed and everyone looked at me quietly, and with interest. Loki took in a breath and I looked up at him, he looked down at me impressed by my knowledge openly as I leaned back in the chair quietly as everything I had just said was processed by the group of men around me.

"How do you know all of this?" Raithbourne said and I closed my eyes, afraid of the judgment that was about to come down on me.

"Because I practiced Wicca when I was in school, and studied Haitian Vodou." I said and Raithbourne sneered at me in disgust at the revelation about my past.

"She is not a suspect Lord Raithbourne." Thor said defensively and I smiled up at him as everyone looked at Thor. He put a hand on my shoulder as Loki looked across the table at me, and smiled at his adopted brother for defending me. The men around the table, with the exception of Odin looked pale and I nervously began scratching at my hand. Loki cleared his throat again and I stopped, rolling my eyes and I felt the weight of universe came crashing down around me.

"They are in over their heads with this one, I have to go back to Earth and help them." I said and everyone looked at me, Loki closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

"Are you sure this is a wise course of action?" One of the Council Men asked and looked at Odin. "You are still getting control over your gifts, and you are still looked for across the Universe."

"This person has an end game here, they have to be stopped. Maybe I can just offer some insight into what they are facing. A couple of hours on Earth at the most and then I will come back." I said and Loki opened his eyes and looked at me, being strangely reasonable.

"You cannot go alone." Loki said and I nodded at him, me going to Earth alone would be like ringing the cosmic dinner bell, every tyrant in the known galaxy would descend on the planet and make one bad situation so much worse.

"Right now Loki uses his tricks to conceal her from the beings who would hunt her, it is a wise decision on his part. Can you extend the power over her wherever she goes brother?" Thor asked and crossed his massive arms in thought.

"I cannot, it requires me to remain close to her, it was risky enough for me to go to Jotunheim and leave her unprotected." Loki replied and I shivered, thinking about what would happen if I had to escape another attack on Asgard by myself.

"Take Thor." Lord Sventaka chirped out and Odin shook his head violently at the suggestion.

"He is needed here for the treaty, as well as the rest of our finest warriors." Odin said and I nodded in agreement. Something about the pictures did not add up as I glanced down at the photos of the bodies. I looked from one picture to another, spreading a few of them out in front of me as I frowned down at the images. I looked up at Thor and put my hand on his arm, tapping it to get his attention.

"How did these people die?" I asked him and picked up another picture and he looked down at me sadly, and uncrossed his arms.

"They were drained of blood by unknown means Lady." He replied and I stood up like a shot facing Thor, shaking and put my hands on his arms.

"Say that again." I demanded, my heart ricocheting off the walls of my chest like a stray bullet in panic. The nightmare replayed in my head as the ground tilted under my feet, Loki came around the table quickly and stood close to us.

"They were drained of blood." Thor said and my heart stopped in my chest briefly, and I turned back to the table and looked at the pictures in shock, remembering my nightmare and wondering if I was seeing all that happened that could affect the universe.

"Blood Magick." I said and put my hands on the back of the chair I had occupied and looked around the room.

"I have read about the workings of Blood Magick, but never practiced it myself, it is really bad news. Get it wrong, and you risk everything, even your own soul in your dealings." I looked down at the pictures and shivered, wrapping my arms around myself in fear. Loki gently moved me aside and gathered up the pictures quickly, closing the folder over them and shoved the folder at Thor as he turned on him.

"She has seen enough." Loki said. "Take your answers back to Midgard and report this to them, let them deal with this matter on their own."

"Midgard may need her to go Loki." Thor protested and Loki glared at his brother when Odin pounded his fist on the table to stop the two of them from arguing. My fingers gripped the back of the chair and I walked around it and shivered.

"I have to go back." I said and eased myself as I shook into the chair quietly, I glanced around me and all the men in the room looked at me, agreeing in various ways.

"This sorcerer poses a threat to us here in Asgard, this matter does require our intervention." Sventaka said and tapped his shaky fingers on the table top as I folded my hands in my lap.

"Loki will go with you." Odin said. "While he would be useful to the treaty, his knowledge of powers like this and his ability to conceal you may be helpful to you. I also have no doubts in my mind that he will keep you from harm without my command."

I nodded and pressed my lips together, looking around at the men in the room. Lord Sventaka smiled at me kindly and I returned it, but inside I wanted to scream and run the other way. I knew that this person had to be stopped by any means, and I would probably have to stay longer if needed.

"Leave in the morning." Odin suggested and I nodded to him feeling the day weigh down on me.

"I'm scared." I said, letting the men in the room see how really vulnerable I really was and Odin put his hand over mine gently.

"If you were not," He said and I looked at him. "I would call you a fool."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

I watched the candles flicker in the hand blown glass candle holders in the window, all of them gifts from Natasha on Earth. She was really a good friend, and one of my strongest connections to my home so very far away. She was one of the people in my corner with SHIELD and the rest of The Avengers, and probably worked harder than most to keep me from ending up in a prison cell for my part in aiding Loki on Earth. She also understood that I needed him to stay alive. Since my return to Asgard, she sent them at random from the glassblowing plant in Seattle so I wouldn't feel so homesick and I was getting a huge collection of them. I had fifteen of them so far, in varying shades and I sometimes could feel part of the person who made them in each colorful vessel when I polished them or just held them, turning them in my hands and looking into their variegated depths.

My silk shift was cool on my skin and I shivered a bit when a cool breeze filled the room, upsetting the protected flames in their vessels. I sat down on the couch and I looked at the unopened box and picked it up gently, untying the ribbon around it. I unwrapped the silver paper around the box and set it all aside as I removed a green and gold flecked vessel from the box and held it up to the fading light, turning it carefully in my hands to see the iridescent glow from within. I turned it over and read the name of it and the label was marked Caspar, I got up and pulled a small candle out of the desk drawer as I walked over to the windows and used a bit of power to light the wick.

The soul of the person who blew into this glass was kind, I sensed the joy the person took in creating this small piece of art cradled in my hands. I held it carefully and warmed myself in the bliss that radiated from the imprint of the creator on the vessel. The true spirit of actual creation, forged in silica and fire. Breath and skill, turning and shaping a lump of colored glass into beauty, such simple acts to make something so small and fragile, yet the rewards were so great. Whether it be in the kiln or by paint and brush, creation was an act I appreciated greatly. Art was a part of a person's soul you could hold in your hands and peek into their emotions and desires.

True magic was in the simple act of creation.

"That one is beautiful." A voice said and startled me, I turned my head quickly to see Loki leaning against the door watching me. He walked forward and carefully took the glass from my hands and looked into the swirls, his stormy blue-gray eyes admired the iridescent swirls and I smiled as he put it in the window sill with the rest of them.

"If you keep collecting these," He said and picked up my robe off the bed. "You will soon run out of windows to hold them all. What shall you do then?"

"I could find other windows." I said as he held up the robe for me to put on and rolled my eyes, knowing full well he had seen me in less. His need for me to be modest around him was amusing though and I tried not to pick on him too much for it. I turned and slipped my arms into the sleeves and adjusted the pale blue velvet and shivered a his fingertips brushed the back of my neck as he pulled my hair over the collar, freeing it from between the two layers of clothing. I turned slowly and hugged him around the waist, and smiled as he returned the embrace.

"If you use the windows in my chambers, please refrain from the pink ones." He said into my ear and I laughed loudly in the room.

"Oh," I said and spun around on him. "You are in so much trouble now, all the pink ones go into your windows."

I smiled and he gave me an amused look at my teasing, and he wrapped me in a tighter hug, I laughed again and pushed away as I walked over and sat down on the couch. I reached up and grabbed his hand as he walked over to me and pulled him down onto the couch next to me, sitting heavily and looking at me sighing. His face changing as he smiled at me, becoming my Loki as I leaned back against the armrest and put my feet up into his lap. His hand rested on my shin, and he looked at my feet in amusement as he took one of my ankles and studied the foot attached to the limb.

"How do you walk on such small feet?" He said as he looked at my toes as I wiggled them and he studied them carefully, pinching my big toe in his fingers and teasing me.

"You adapt." I said and shrugged, giggling as he compared my foot to his hand, a sly smile crossing his face as he tapped each of my toes with his finger.

"Don't you dare tickle my foot Magic Dance." I said and he grinned wickedly at me and tightened his grip on my ankle, applying enough pressure to hold it firmly but not to hurt me or my ankle. I froze a bit as he ran the tip of his is index finger from the tip of my big toe to the arch of my foot and squealed as he made circles in the arch. Kicking at him as he did it again and started laughing himself.

"I have discovered a weakness in my Little Mouse." He said and I put up a finger to warn him not to do it again. He let my ankle go and he lay my legs across his lap and pulled the shift down over my legs modestly. Sighing, he lay his head on my stomach and my fingers curled into his long black hair as he relaxed against me.

"What's wrong?" I asked him and he waved his hand in the air and rested it again on my hip.

"I am concerned about everything you spoke of today. This sorcerer thinks they can control us, it troubles me." Loki said and I put my arm on his shoulder. "What if this sorcerer..."

"Don't be." I said cutting him off, not wanting to remember the time his mind was taken over by another being and he nearly cut my eye out, he hated the memory and I deemed it one to stay dead for both our sakes.

"We will figure it all out and nothing horrible will happen to us. I have your back, and you have mine." I said and slid my hand down to his arm and rubbed it gently.

"I know you would never let anything hurt me either." I said and he nodded silently as he watched the candles flicker in the windows.

"You have more faith in me than the others have." He said and I gave him a pinch on his shoulder, he turned his head and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Stop it." I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Pinch me again and I will turn you into a bird." He warned me and I pinched him again on the shoulder. He frowned up at me as I laughed at him, he turned his face into my stomach and groaned in exasperation. I laughed again at him and he looked up at me and rested his chin on the back of his hand as he reached up and gave a bit of my hair a tug, and I shot back with another pinch on his arm.

"When are you going to stop encouraging me to be rotten to you? I asked him and he smiled up at me and chuckled.

"When are you going to stop picking at me when I am honest?" He replied and I giggled at him.

"When are you going to stop letting your past define you?" I said and his free arm slipped around my back and he gave me a soft squeeze as he kissed my stomach and I sighed at the contact.

"You see a better person than I do." He said and turned his head to rest his cheek on me, watching the candles flicker again. My fingers toyed with his long hair again and he sighed contentedly, it was nice to see him like this. Usually he was a bundle of nerves and hard edges, and it may have been his rocky past that brought him to that state. My past was a huge bag of suck as well for that matter, but we never played "Who Had it Worse.." Instead we just accepted one another as we were.

We were cool like that.

"May I ask you a question?" Loki said and I stopped twirling the bit of his hair around my finger, he sensed the pause and swallowed thickly.

"Yes." I said nervously, a bit afraid of what he was going to ask me and returned to curling the hair around my finger. Wrapping and twisting the soft curl around my index finger as he lay still.

"What is the Tarot?" He asked and I laughed and moved him off me gently, getting up as he watched me. I opened a drawer in the desk and took out a square of linen of cloth, dyed a rich purple and a small wooden box carved with a star. I handed him the cloth and he opened it curiously as I pulled a side table over in front of him and then brought a chair over from the desk and sat in it placing the box in my lap as I smiled at him.

He turned the cloth and I gestured at the table for him to spread it out, and he did so neatly over the surface of the table and I ran my hands over it smoothing it to remove all the wrinkles.

"Think of a question and concentrate on it." I said and he chuckled at me skeptically and I shot him a look as he laughed again at the whole situation.

"What question should I ask?" He said and watched my face closely for any signs of what I was doing.

"Anything you believe you need guidance on, like personal growth or a relationship you may be having problems with." I said and rested my hand on the top of the box gently as he thought, his eyes closed and I smiled at him.

"Very well, I have my question." He said and I set the box on the table facing him and opened it quietly, revealing a deck of lavender cards. He looked at them and I carefully placed the entire deck face down on the cloth an leaned over the arm of the chair to set the box on the floor next to me as he watched me curious as to what I was doing. I then split the deck into three piles and spread the first pile in a fan in front of me and he watched me closely.

"Is this a game of some sort?" He asked me, interest on his face as I sat back in the chair and looked at him as he sighed at me and rolled his eyes.

"Concentrate on your question and choose a card to represent your past." I said calmly and he sighed and studied me across the table and I smiled at him.

"This is a game." He said and I looked at him, not taking his challenge. I patiently waited as he sat on the couch and watched my face as I remained still and calm in my chair. I draped my wrists over the arms of the chair and he sighed and closed his eyes and put his hand over the spread of cards, hesitating over them for a moment and he lowered his finger to select a card, pulling it toward himself with the long digit.

I collected the rest of the cards from the table and left the one card sitting face down on the table, he looked at me as I sat back again and watched him as he turned the card over, on it was a picture of a man with the wings of an angel, two black swans at his feet carrying swords in their flippers, joining him in the fight he faces. Two more swords crossed over his back as he wielded one in preparation of battle. Soft watercolors captured his clothes and armor vividly, and his long pale hair blown back in the hint of forward movement, his implied inertia evident in the windswept nature of his being..

"Five of Swords." I said and Loki read my face quietly as I looked down at the card on the table and sighed.

"A dark angel accompanied by two black swans into battle, the pure white of the swans wings tainted by self-interest and a lust for power that is not theirs to have. Together the three of them send challenges into heaven, relishing the oncoming conflict, and sure of victory, but even victory can be fleeting. He is single minded in his purpose, and has sacrificed his integrity to achieve his own ends, only focused on himself selfishly, and forgetting all others he may trample underfoot in his need for whatever goal he seeks."

"But with any war, only one side may win and the other must be defeated. Who is this angel though, is he the victor or the defeated. Is he fleeing his home and lost, in denial of the possibility of his defeat or the rights and wrongs of his actions? And does the ends truly justify the means in the slash of his blade?" I said and Loki took in a shaking breath as I looked at him patiently. He picked up the card and studied the picture on it carefully and I looked down at my lap and shifted in my seat.

"The Five of Swords is a card both beautiful and brutal. It represents discord and conflict of interests. You once felt that the Fates were once allied against you, along with the entirety of the world. You felt denied your true happiness and you felt that you had to struggle and fight for each breath you took. But you still were able to find hope in this darkness that you faced. Dawn broke again and your change of the way you viewed the world gave you a new promise and potential." I completed my statement and he looked at me and then back at the card, setting it down quietly on the table as he let out the breath he was holding.

"I am not sure I enjoy this game Little Mouse." He said and I picked up the second section of the deck carefully and spread it out in front of me in the same manner I did before. I looked up at him, his face was troubled by the first card and I sat back again as he looked at the cards and then to me.

"You don't have to continue if you do not want to." I said and smiled gently at him. "If you do, this card is your present, and it may show you a very different part of you than your past. People are not stagnant, they are dynamic, always changing, sometimes for the better."

"And the point of this game?" He asked me as I sat back and looked at Loki and sighed.

"Some people do not believe this is a game at all, each card has a meaning and it only offers insight and guidance on whatever matter you need help with." I said and he sat forward with his hand hovering over the fan of cards on the table and I watched him cautiously. I knew he would continue, but the truth could push him far away from me, his ego was so fragile at times and it scared me. I shifted uneasily and watched as his long finger selected a card and pulled it toward himself. He picked it up and looked at it, raising an eyebrow as I put the others aside gently.

His eyes shifted from the card in his hand to me, and he set it down on the table and eased it toward me.

"Illuminate me, what does this card mean for my present." He said and I smiled down at the card featuring a beautiful red fox defending her young from a badger. The two kits behind her huddled in fear and helplessness, the mother fox threatening the attacker with wide set jaws in defiance. The attacking predator refusing to back away, and almost in awe of the bravery of the fox. Seven stalks of bamboo in the background offering the stability the fox needed as she fought to protect those weaker than her.

"The fox is protecting two weaker, younger foxes from an attacker. The act of fighting the stronger enemy is courageous in itself, but the selfless act makes is so much more meaningful. Fear for the two weaker beings drives the clever fox on against the clumsy badger, however failure is not an option for either party. The fox looses something precious to her and the badger goes without a meal and starves. Without the tangle of thoughts or justification, mere belief forces you to fight ten times more fiercely and with a great and passion strength that should be feared by any foe."

"The bamboo wands are symbols of strength and fortitude, a single stalk of bamboo may sway in a strong wind, but will never break under the pressure of a storm. The Seven of Wands is a card that represents your present state. You have made the choice to stand for something, and show no fear in defending it. You are the fox, and your failure will end in the death of something you care deeply for. The advice of this card for your present is to hold to your courage, don't buckle like a sapling in a strong wind, but sway with it like flexible bamboo stalks." I said and smiled at him.

He sat back on the couch quietly and looked at me in thought, his face somewhat deflated by everything I had just said. Blinking, Loki sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Looking at me as I reached over and picked up the third part of the deck.

"How can simple cards know so much?" He asked me in silent exasperation and I looked at him smiling softly.

"You are the one choosing the cards Loki, not me." I said and fanned the last of the deck out in front of him on the table.

"To what end Little Mouse?" He asked and looked down at the purple and lavender cards in front of him.

"You asked me to show you what the Tarot is, this is the only way for you to understand it fully. I am explaining it to you by letting you be the Querrant in a reading. This is your last card, and your future." I said and pressed my lips together as he thought about whether or not to choose his last card.

"And if I do not like my future?" Loki asked and his brows knitted together as he looked at me, I smiled at him gently and I sighed.

"No future is ever set in stone." I said and he looked at me. "You can change it through your choices and actions, shape your own destiny. This is only one possible outcome based on the current path you are on, but there are a multitude of paths available to you."

He stood and walked around the table next to me and put his hand out over the cards as he crouched next to me. Studying my face carefully as his hand hovered over them and his fingers brought a final card from the spread and he held it up for me to see. His hand cupped my cheek and he turned to me and I looked at the card, closing shaking fingers around it and held it in a trembling hand.

"What is my future?" He asked and I turned the card slowly, nervous and fearing his coming reaction.

I flipped the card to face him and showed him the vivid depiction of a Phoenix perched on the branches of a dead tree, the card was number thirteen in the Major Arcana.

Death.

Loki pushed back from me suddenly and upset the table, cards scattered and I knelt down to pick them up. I returned them all to the box as he walked out onto the balcony tense and ready to spring, I set the table back up and followed him quickly.

"The card does not represent an end, the meaning is very different than what you are seeing here." I said to him as I walked, he turned and looked at me.

"Then what does it mean, because it seems that one of us are going to die." He demanded and I grabbed his hand and put the card in it.

"It represents a great transition of one consciousness to another. The Phoenix rises from the ashes of its previous state of being to a new and achingly beautiful one, the fire consumed it and it rises again to become something more than what it once was." I said as he looked down at the card.

"Nightshade flowers represent the dangers and deceptions you will face, but the Sumac blossoms serve to remind you, that you and only you, through patience and your convictions will survive the change that is to come." He lowered the card and sighed at me, moving close and wrapping his arms round me and I rested me cheek against him.

"Be more patient, stop jumping to conclusions on your perceptions, and the change that will come will be great. Look at the abstract and you will find hidden truths there." I sighed into his chest and he gave me a squeeze.

"I was frightened by the prospects of loss. You know all that I have had slipped through my fingers." Loki said and buried his nose into the hair on top of my head, kissing the crown of it.

"Two hundred years ago, I would have been burned for what I am. Arrogance of others would have killed me because they would have refused to try and understand those differences in me." I said and his arms tightened around me. "Death is a part of the terms and conditions of life, and no one will ever cheat their own mortality."

"Not you." He said and sighed at the truth. "You will live, and you also have a clever fox to protect you from the dangers of the universe."

I smiled and made a mouse appear on the table next to us, and added a fox who jumped up onto the table and sniffed at the frightened little creature, he watched tensing as the fox looked down at the smaller creature as if it were going to eat it. Chuckling and relaxing as the fox wrapped its body around the mouse to protect the tiny creature hidden in the fur of its tail.

"You asked if it was a game," I said softly. "Fate is never a game, and lives are not playthings to be idly used or cast aside."

"True Little Mouse." He said as we walked back into the room and the two animals on the table vanished in a blue haze as we walked inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She rolled onto her stomach in the dark room next to him as Loki thought about everything he had learned that night about the cards, she always saw more in him than he had ever seen in himself for the length of his endless life. She had an insight into him that he never possessed, and he imagined it was due to her quiet nature, the way she observed everything around her instead of speaking blindly. Her words always held such meaning, and her quiet wisdom was deep and vast. He wondered how long she would put up with him as he rolled over and slipped an arm around her gently, the shift she wore sliding under his hand as he rested his head between her shoulders, breathing her scent.

He did not deserve such a precious creature, and felt like an impostor in her life as he lay next to her.

He remembered the first time he saw her on Earth and thought about the heavy black cosmetics she used on her mouth and around her eyes, how she fought both he and Thor with a small knife on the Midgardian streets. Her fierce nature mildly impressing him. Bleeding and bruised she was brought here to Asgard. At some point of seeing The Healers for her injuries, she had washed her face and changed out of her ridiculous clothing revealing the true beauty she was under it all.

She kept her fierceness of spirit, and continued to be vexing in her speech, nearly making an enemy of him in the process of his teaching her to control the powers that lay in her. But her delicate fingers gently dug into his armor and opened him up to her, pulling at one layer after another she opened him. Her soft, more hidden nature that of a fawn, she never openly pushed but still found a way in.

And he allowed Lilliana Rose Hawthorne to stay.

Her physical beauty was only her surface to him, it was her intellect and her passions that made her a star among all the other beings of the Nine Realms to him and he wanted to show her so much more. To open worlds to her, and feed her all the knowledge she wanted to know, nurturing her mind and spirit as she grew as a person.

When she asked him to teach her how to read and write Asgardian, he remembered how wrong and unsophisticated it looked to see her write in anything other than her own fine script that looped and flowed across the page in front of her. Her writing seemed more graceful as he watched her write her name in delicate strokes and flourishes instead of the blocky letters she attempted to write in. However, she was determined to attempt and to impress him, and he patiently taught her as she did her best to learn, her excellent memory aided in her quest to understand all that was laid before her as well.

She moaned softly in her sleep and her hand slipped out from under the pillow and curled next to her shoulder, he quietly let go of her as she settled again and watched her as her shift rode up just above her knees making him look down at the pale limbs bathed in the moonlight. He admired her face as she turned onto her back and looked at him, her face puffy with sleep as he ran his thumb over her cheek.

"You should be asleep." He said, chiding her and eliciting a sleepy smile.

"So should you Lionheart." She replied and turned toward him as he reached down to cover her again with the blankets. She kicked at them lazily and moaned and he stopped.

"It's too hot." She said and he looked at her concerned, but gave up on trying to cover her and let her settle into his arm with her head on his shoulder. Slowly, her breathing slowed and became deeper as she drifted back asleep and he was able to pull the blankets over her. Her natural scent of lavender filled his nose and his hand closed over hers softly in the darkness.

How could such a small being find her way into his closely guarded thoughts by just existing alone? It confused and aroused him at the same time, how such a creature could look into his darkness and not cringe away in fear. Her bravery something to behold, and to be guarded against any injury.

He thought then of the first time he showed her what he was, the way she did not shrink away from him in fear, but touched his cold skin and walked around him with curiosity. The way her fingers traced the markings on his face and smiled at him for his trust of her in his revelation. Her anger for the prejudices of the others, and her sadness for the judgment on him.

She was a greater person than Odin in his mind for her acceptance, her reasonable nature and compassion for those deemed unworthy of kindness.

That moment on the road from the Bifrost he knew, beyond any doubt, Lilliana would never judge him unfairly based on the pettiness of race. That was the exact moment he pledged to fate that the Illenderial would never fall while he drew breath.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

We stood at the Bifrost early the next day. My long pale peach dress fluttering around me in the breeze, and I was bracing myself for the journey ahead of me. Even though I was able to jump between worlds, this way was much less draining on me and my powers. Too much of a drain, and I tended to pass out and ended up sleeping for hours or even days afterwards in order to recharge the batteries, so to say. We were not sure what would happen if I drained myself too much, but we had a working theory that it may kill me. Evidence of the hypothesis was in the way I got ice cold and my body shut down non necessary parts to preserve the heart and brain, only taking shallow breaths when I absolutely needed oxygen to feed the major organs and keep them from atrophying.

I may be powerful, but I had limitations.

Of course, that was a working hypothesis, Thor, Sif and I were actually thinking of letting me drain myself and play human lab rat while I recharged, being monitored by Eir in the Infirmary. Someone caught wind and had a massive meltdown though, and ended the experiment before I could drain myself to the point of collapse. We were planning to try it again, this time with the Norse God of Overprotective boyfriends hog tied somewhere. I was actually curious if it was a type of hypothermia that I went into to protect the body.

"Good morning Heimdall." I said brightly as Loki and I walked into the domed room, Heimdall immediately smiled at me as I walked around the raised controls to open the way and he nodded to me, we often talked to one another and I visited him as often as I could here. I think it made him happy to have someone to talk to as well as he watched the universe for Odin, his amber eyes catching everything that went on out there in the cosmos. It was comforting to know that he watched over us all, and I smiled up at him happily today.

"Are you ready for your journey Lady?" He asked me and I nodded at him. I was much better at traveling using the Bifrost, and rarely landed on my butt anymore which was a relief. I was tired of nearly breaking my neck and getting laughed at, but it was still horribly disorienting to me.

"Do you have any advice for me on this matter?" I asked him and he regarded me kindly, Loki smiled as I hugged the taller man I considered another friend and tolerated the affection I showed the guardian.

"Show care in who you trust, more than one life depends on it." He said and I looked back at Loki who stood silently as he took in what was said to me. I did not fully know what he meant, but he was always vague on purpose.

Heimdall took his sword and walked to the control, inserting it into the risen platform like a key and the whole room was filled with light and the bridge between worlds opened. With blinding speed, I was pulled forward into space and light years passed in the blink of an eye, the air was sucked from my lungs and my body felt disjointed as I tumbled through space and time. The light around me flashed and I had to squint as everything passed by, it was almost painful to travel this way but I tolerated it for the brief time it was used.

I blinked and found myself on Earth in the middle of a well manicured lawn, the ornate knot work design under my feet the only evidence of our arrival. An older maintenance man threw his hands up as he worked to replant sod over two more landing sights from Thor's arrival and departure cursed loudly and threw his shovel overhand into the trees where it bounced and came to a rest.

"Maybe I should have just used my powers to jump us here." I said to Loki and he chuckled at me, the pale peach blouse I now wore fluttered in the breeze and I could have passed for anyone on Earth, the black knee-length skirt and patent leather heels finished off the sleek look. Loki looked sharp himself in his black suit and green tie, I may or may not have ogled him again for a few seconds as we stood on the lawn.

"You could have, but that was amusing." He said and I laughed at him.

"Be civil, he works hard to clean up after us. Poor man, maybe next time we should use the woods." I replied and he smiled at me.

"You don't look anything like Thor." A voice behind us said as two people walked up from the concrete and glass structure the stood nearby. I spun around and saw a tall blonde man wearing a worn brown leather bomber jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and a button up shirt approaching. Natasha walked behind him and I calmed instantly and smiled at her widely and she held out her arms toward me. The man stopped and looked at me, staring for several moments too long for comfort as he studied me.

"You are too short and pretty to be him too." He said and Loki made an annoyed sound next to me. I glared openly at Steve Rogers and tapped the toe of my shoe in irritation as he approached us, he watched Loki cautiously with every step he took forward and returned to me and stared at me again. I hated when people made short jokes at me it was the fastest way to become my enemy, and even Loki knew better than to tease my height. Especially since I made him aware of how much I hated it by blowing a handful of glitter into his face to make my point. Loki eventually forgave me for giving him craft herpes, but I had to work like hell for that forgiveness.

"Steve Rogers." He said, extending his hand to me and I didn't take it, instead I smiled and hugged Natasha as she walked forward smiling at me.

"Thank you so much for the candle holders." I said and she laughed in my ear as we hugged. "I love them all girl, they really cheer up my drab prison cell."

"I thought you would love them," She said and looked at me. "You look great for someone who has been in prison, you are not so pale and you look so much healthier."

I laughed as I cocked a thumb over my shoulder at Loki and winked at her, and the two men watched us chat. Just us girls, enjoying some quick girl talk between us.

"He keeps on me to stay healthy, if I don't Magic Dance gets on me to eat or take a nap or something equally dumb." She raised a hand at Loki and smiled at him, some of the Avengers did not hold much of a grudge toward him for New York anymore, but they still held him kind of at a distance.

"Loki." Steve said shortly, crossing his arms over his chest and Loki regarded the man coolly, probably annoyed with the flirting directed at me.

"Rogers." He replied and I rolled my eyes and threw my hands out as Natasha and I started walking toward the building through the grass, and let me tell you this, walking through grass in high heels is hard. The heels of my shoes got caught in the soft dirt underfoot and I nearly fell over a couple times, prompting Loki to change my foot wear into a nice pair of ballet flats and I smiled at him gratefully. We entered the building and I noticed instantly the armed SHIELD Agents as I walked in. I stopped suddenly as they looked at both Loki and I, freezing with us in surprise as both parties took each other in.

"HANDS UP!" One man in heavy body armor shouted at us as we walked forward, and about five red dots appeared in my chest converging in the center of it as I obeyed and put my hands into the air where everyone could see them. I rolled my eyes and looked at Natasha, she looked back at me with honest surprise and Steve looked shocked himself as well.

"Now this is exactly the sort of shit that gives me trust issues." I said and jumped to appear behind one of the Agents and used my power to knock him off his feet and to the ground without killing him. The Agent to his right turned on me, swinging the barrel of his AR-15 around and Natasha kicked him in the knee, dropping him as I jumped again to appear across the room. A shot fired off over our heads and everyone froze in place, I looked down at myself and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone checked for holes, and I rolled my eyes in irritation.

"Somebody needs to work on their trigger discipline." I said and turned to face the gathered Agents.

And that was how the party really started.

I had knocked over another man when I felt a pair of handcuffs click around my right wrist and I knocked the person trying to restrain me back and through one of the ceiling high glass windows, holding up my latest accessory for Loki to see as he brought his fist down on the nerve bundle in another Agent's neck. The guy collapsed with his lights out and Loki looked over at me and winked.

"You or me?" I asked as I jumped and reappeared to catch the now empty cuffs in my hand and he grinned at me slyly.

"Later Little Mouse." He said and kicked another Agent in the side of the knee, injuring his leg and making him fall where he screamed and the Agent clutched at the shattered joint. I slipped the cuffs into Loki's coat pocket as a joke for later when we all heard another gunshot go off and we turned to see a shaking Agent with absolutely no trigger discipline point his rifle directly at Loki, the red dot of his laser sight in the center of his chest as the man took shaky breaths in panic.

"Shit." I said and jumped, appearing in front of the guy and grabbed the receiver on the rifle, grappling for the rifle before he killed someone.

I hit the button on the side of the rifle to release the magazine and pushed the muzzle up and pulled at the same time to discharge the chambered round into the ceiling effectively as the guy fell backwards from the push I gave him in the center of his chest. I could hear his finger break as he went down, and I kicked the magazine away from him and across the room where it clattered to a stop against a wall. I turned smoothly and used a discharge of power to knock another guy down and I spun around and kicked a guy who was starting to aim his rifle at me from the ground in the face with the heel of my shoe and his head jerked back as he went back to dreamland.

"Stay down." I yelled at him and I looked around us at the Agents as they lay on the ground, one guy groaned while holding a ruined leg and hissed through his teeth in agony. Steve put his hands out as I glared as him and Natasha looked relaxed, but was still on the defensive.

"Look, I did not know this was going to happen." Steve said and I groaned up at the high ceilings and used some of my power to send out a pulse top break one of the huge windows.

"Who Did?" I demanded and shattered another window as I walked forward.

Yeah...Vulgar display of power...I get it.

"Lilly." Natasha said and I turned to her as a person sat up and aimed a Tazer at me, I used my power to rip the weapon from his hands, and turned it on him, discharged it at him, and ejected the cartridge from the device as the Agent went rigid as his muscles contracted and passed out.

I turned and felt the fire fill my hand as I looked around the room at all the other Agents laying on the ground as they looked at me shocked, another one with a Tazer in his hand put it down on the floor and pushed it away in possibly the smartest move of his life as I nodded at him. He put his hands up into the air and I pulled the fire back into me as I glared at him.

Loki grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to him, stopping and pulling me out of my anger before I accidentally killed someone. I looked at his other hand and saw a long cut across his knuckles, I took the hand in mine gently and healed it as he smiled at me.

"Calm down Lilliana." He said firmly to me as he put his hand over mine. "This battle is just beginning, am I correct Mr. Fury?"

Loki looked over the top of my head as I turned quickly to see a dark skinned man standing behind me with an eye patch, his hands behind his back and his feet braced for instant combat. Everything about this man screamed that he was danger, and he looked at me like a coiled snake, ready to strike at any moment and kill. I jumped back as Loki pushed me behind him to protect me from the man as they glared at each other like caged animals. Fury stepped forward as Tony Stark appeared through a door with a drink in his hand, calmly taking in the scene. He licked his lips and sipped from his glass, looking at the broken windows and throwing his other hand out in exasperation as he turned and looked at me.

"Was that you Princess?" Tony asked me and I nodded while looking around Loki at him.

"Are you aware that my homeowners policy does not cover that?" He finished and I laughed at his joke as he smiled at me and held out his arms for a hug. I walked over to Tony and returned his offered hug, amazed at his control at not spilling his drink down my back.

"How have you been Lilly?" He asked me as I pulled away.

"Good actually, right up until someone started shooting at me, but really good generally." I said to him and he offered me some of his scotch but I put up a hand and shook my head at him while smiling.

"Occupational hazard, and you look great. You and Loki still..." He asked, making a few crude hand gestures, and I laughed and nodded. Behind me, I could hear Fury clear his throat and I ignored him to continue my conversation with Tony.

"Yeah." I said and Tony frowned. "He keeps growing on me, and in a senseless universe, we both make sense together."

"Well, it is true what they say," Tony said and took another drink from his glass. "Chicks dig jerks."

I laughed at Tony's joke and I could hear Fury clear his throat again and I continued to ignore the man, making sure he was just as annoyed as I was and paced quietly.

"He keeps me alive too Tony." I said and he nodded his agreement back at me as I turned to Fury and looked at the man. He was no less dangerous, and he made it obvious he was irritated with the both of us for just being alive. I rolled my eyes at him, and was going to make a comment about me being more dangerous but decided against it, I had done enough damage today.

"Well, then I guess he isn't all bad. Hi Loki." Tony said and gestured with his glass. "Drink?"

"Stark, and no thank you." Loki replied and I rolled my eyes.

"So I hear you all have a problem with a Serial Killer." I said and faced Fury who crossed his arms as he looked at me. "And you are blaming the murders on us, which I don't really appreciate at the moment."

His eye narrowed at me as he stared through me and I pressed my lips together as we silently stood off against one another, we waited for several minutes for the other to blink and he moved first. Slowly, he took in a breath and put his arms behind his back as he began pacing and Loki walked up behind me, ready to defend me if it was needed.

"Problem is an understatement." Fury began as he walked toward me, causing me to cringe back a bit. "I am told by Thor that you may have some insight into this case and I am willing to cut a deal with you in particular for your cooperation."

"What do you want from me?" I asked as Fury stopped in front of me quickly and looked at me as if he was sizing me up. The whole room got quiet as Tony walked closer with his empty glass and looked at both of us as I took in a deep breath, taking a cautious step back and crossed my arms in front of me.

"What can you offer?" Fury asked me and I swallowed hard, carefully selecting my next words.

"Information. Nothing more. I will not kill anyone for you, and I will not be anyone's personal Scud Missile. I am not your personal weapon in your arsenal, and I for all intents and purposes expect to be treated as a person." I said and Fury turned and looked at the broken windows and then at the Agents who were slowly waking up and nursing wounds of varying degrees. He looked at me with skepticism as he turned back to us and from inside his coat, he produced a tablet and turned it on and handed it to me.

"You may change your mind after seeing this, we need as many hands as we can get in on this situation. This is the most recent information sent to us from an unknown source concerning our killer and their plans, gender, race, and motive are still unknown. What I am about to show you and everyone here is...disturbing at best, Tony says you are smart. Show me how smart, and we will see if you can be of help to me." He said as I swiped through all the information on the tablet, and grew more and more horrified as I read through everything. Charts and diagrams flooded the screen, and they all pointed toward something very nasty.

"Did someone seriously weaponize Anthrax and Rabies to the point that they kill in seconds?" I said and looked up at Fury and everyone else in the room. Fury nodded and Loki read over my shoulder at the screen as I looked at diagrams of DNA strands and other information that continued to spell out a nightmare scenario courtesy George A. Romero.

"What is a Prion?" Loki asked as he read over the information with me and I closed my eyes for several moments and steadied myself, every nightmare scenario for this disease playing out in my head as I wanted to run out onto the lawn again and scream for Heimdall to take me back to Asgard.

"Would you kindly fill us in as to what we are looking at?" Fury asked and I handed him back the tablet and stepped carefully over an Agent and saw a Sharpie pen in his breast pocket, reaching down and grabbing it as I walked over to the window and began writing a list on the window as everyone watched me.

"Does anyone here know at all what a Prion Disease is?" I asked and was greeted with nothing but blank stares and I rolled my eyes as I groaned.

"Seriously? You guys still do not watch Discovery Channel?" I said and continued to write out a list on the window. "A Prion Disease is basically a type of protein that causes the normal proteins that exist in the brain to fold abnormally, altering the structure of the brain and causing horrible long term effects on the person suffering from the illness. Prion diseases are different from normal viruses because they can affect both humans and animals, and can be spread cross species to humans through the consumption of infected meat products." I said and completed my list on the window in front of me of known Prion Diseases and turned around to see even the Agents listening to my quick lesson.

"And how does this have anything to do with weaponized Anthrax and Rabies?" Steve asked me and Loki glared at him for his condescending tone of voice.

"I am getting to that Steve." I said and pointed at one of the Prion Diseases I had written on the glass. "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or as it is more commonly known, Mad Cow Disease is one such infection. A few cases were discovered in humans years ago, but it can take a year or more for symptoms to even present after exposure, and even longer in some cases before an accurate diagnosis can be made. Whoever bred this little Frankenstein cross bred it with Kuru, which can also take years for symptoms to present. However, the DNA structure of both viruses were altered to create a faster version of the disease, leaving the incubation period to be less than a minute."

I drew lines on the window to link the two diseases together and stopped to think about what I was looking at.

"Kuru?" Fury asked me and I waved a hand at him to shut him up while I thought.

"Kuru is a particularly nasty form of a Prion Disease found mainly in Papua New Guinea, namely because of the practice of Funerary Cannibalism there. The eating of human flesh causes the disease to take hold in the brain. It literally destroys the structure of the motor center in it, and eventually will spread to the entire central nervous system and cause death in the victim." I said and wrote Rabies on the window near the two lines that I drew from the two Prion Diseases, linking them all together in a diagram that only a sick mind could create.

"For Loki and so he understands. Rabies if also a disease the affects both humans and animals, it is transmitted through the saliva of infected carriers and affects the brain as well. Hydrophobia, loss of coordination, fever, light sensitivity, and violent behavior are all symptoms of the disease. Like a Prion Disease, Rabies also affects the central nervous system and can be fatal unless treated."

"The documents I read, suggest a variant strain of the Prion Diseases and Rabies was bred to be an easily transmissible hybrid strain of all three illnesses. The Anthrax is there to be the actual killer of the host or victim shutting down the respiratory system and basically starving the body of oxygen. Whoever made this worked on it really hard too, they even call it a clever little name as well: K Ap Viv Lanmo, Haitian for Living Death," I finished and everyone looked at me as Tony threw his empty glass over his shoulder and pulled a flask out of his hoodie pocket and took a long pull from it. Fury looked down and I slapped the glass with my hand as Loki put together the true horrors that humanity could bring upon itself.

Science could be a very bad thing in some hands, and I wondered sometimes how we made it through the Manhattan Projects with out blowing ourselves up.

"Tell me that this is not what I think it is," Tony said and I closed my eyes and sighed. "Because that, is my absolute worst nightmare incarnate."

I took the flask from Tony and took a pull from it, shaking as I let the whiskey in it light a fire in my stomach and handed it back to him. I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and shook my head as my brain worked in overdrive.

"The Anthrax kills, and the Prions reanimate the electrical impulses in the brain and nervous system, the Rabies act as a source of transmission through bite and makes the carrier incredibly violent, they basically just keep biting on blind instinct and continue to spread the disease from host to host."

"I would respect the science that went into creating this, but it honestly scares the living hell out of me. This is a very scary thing, like the Nuclear Tests on crack." I said and looked at Fury who turned the tablet back over in his hands and pressed play on the screen and a video began playing. I nearly screamed at the horror show it contained and I had to close my eyes and turn away as the reanimated corpse tore into the man strapped to the gurney and as the helpless man screamed for his life.

Loki went a shade paler as we watched and Steve walked out of a window and onto the lawn quietly where he lurched over and vomited violently into the grass. My hand slipped into Loki's and I swallowed and jumped back as the primal screams from the two dead men echoed in the sudden silence as they slammed into the glass in an effort to find their next victim. Their blood smearing across the transparent sheet in a horrifying Jackson Pollack.

Sleep is currently and continues to be completely overrated at this point.

"Congratulations." Loki said sardonically, swallowing hard in horror. "Humanity has created Draugrs."

Natasha looked at me quietly and I sighed and shivered as the video began to play again and I wanted to rip the tablet out of his hands and smash it onto the floor.

"Norse version of Zombies Nat." I said and she nodded, glaring up at Loki for his joke. Behind me, one of the Agents retched and I reached back into Tony's pocket and took out the flask, unscrewing the lid and took another long drink, passing it on to Loki. He looked down at it and drained it, screwed the lid back onto it and gave it back to Tony as he made a face of disgust. Steve walked back in to the house, still looking green but no worse for wear. I actually felt bad for the guy and forgave him a tiny bit for the short joke as he braced himself against the empty window frame.

"Tell me this is not in play." I said and Fury looked at me coldly as I stood in front of him and shivered, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Not as of yet," He said and put the tablet back into his coat. "But we have information that indicates that it could be in play very soon. We have an address in the United States that is marked as Ground Zero for the beginning of an outbreak, and part of the file you read alludes to a second and third location. I do not need to tell you what will happen should this get out." He looked from Loki to me and I blinked and I turned around, taking several deep breaths and walked over to the window and put both of my hands on the cold glass. I shivered involuntarily, and tried to get a handle on everything inside me but was starting to fail.

Blind, primal fear wrapped a hand around my throat as I stood with my hands up in front of me shaking, the implications of this infection were off the charts and the end results of a Global Pandemic of this sort scared me. Scenes from every popular culture Zombie film flashed through my head with some Walking Dead and World War Z thrown in for fun. My stomach lurched and I threw myself forward, fighting the urge to vomit in front of everyone and felt my control over my power slip. Loki walked up behind me as the glass cracked in spiderweb patterns from my palms as I struggled to keep control of my abilities. His hand touched my shoulder and I thought about the wholesale death that was coming if that monster was ever let out of it's box, the people who would suffer if this ever got out.

"Little Mouse?" Loki asked and I stepped back from the glass and looked a Fury.

"I can't." I stammered out and fought with my morals and my desire to protect. Fear and panic wrestled with logic and reason. Loki sensed everything going on inside me, the wash of emotions that ran through me and the slip of control over my powers. I lurched back and his arms wrapped around my waist and I fought against myself with all I could, but the primal part of myself fought back harder and closed its teeth around my brain.

"Breathe." He said into my ear and smoothed my hair back before resting his hand across my shoulders in front of me.

"Breathe Lilliana, you control your powers, they do not control you." He said and I moaned in pain arching my back and cried out.

"You can control this, you are the being who possesses the gifts you have, they do not posses you." He kept repeating and soon I calmed and I looked up at everyone and put both of my hands up onto his forearm. His soft voice still in my ear, as I hid my face in embarrassment.

I gasped and focused carefully, looking up at Fury who stayed calm when the others had backed off and began retreating to the nearest exit in case I completely lost control. I watched as everyone relaxed as Loki helped me stand up and I walked forward on shaky legs.

"I guess we are here for the duration of this." I said and Loki nodded, his eyes closing and he took in a deep breath as I looked around at everyone. I turned to Fury who stood, looking at the both of us and I sighed.

"Are you sure that the virus and the murders are linked?" I said to Fury and he took in a deep breath and tilted his head toward me.

"Are you sure you can control yourself through all this?" He challenged me and I looked down at the floor, unsure of anything at that point. But I had to try and face this nightmare, and keep my sanity somehow through it all.

"From where I am standing, you don't have much of a choice." I said and looked directly at him. "Because if this virus gets out, you will not be building a moat around the continent of North America. You will have to build it around the entire planet."

Tony and Steve looked from Fury to me and Natasha leaned back against a wall behind her in a bit of shock. Fury looked down at me and sighed openly at what I had said, sizing me up briefly and then looking at Loki.

"We are very sure that it is one in the same, the virus is part of a bigger plan according to the documents I received. The bigger plan, we are currently not sure of. Now, you get to hear the terms of my deal." He said to me and put his hands behind his back, I put up a hand to stop him before he continued. He flinched and glared down at me as I put may hand back down and stole some of his control away from him.

"No deals." I said. "I do this to stop the world from ending extremely violently, and to protect the innocent lives on it. They did not ask to die while men like you play games with their lives, and they sure as hell did not ask to be made into soulless petri dishes of doom."

Fury looked at Loki and frowned at him, Loki gave him a smug smile back calmly and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Where she goes, I follow. I have no desire to allow her to face this peril alone." Fury looked at me again and took in a long breath. I stood my ground and he looked at both Steve and Tony as the two men looked back at him in a bit of quiet fear and some respect.

"You two get to babysit them, and you Little Miss." He said pointing at me. "I need to know everything you can share about the murders, and a possible motive."

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him, throwing a hip out to the side in a stance that was all sass.

"How much do you understand about Vodou and Ritual Magick?" I asked him and he looked up at the ceiling, Steve looked like he was going to vomit again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki grew more and more concerned with Lilliana's state of being as she spoke, describing the tools and practices of what she referred to Ritual Magick, her normally calm and collected edges were starting to become obviously frayed and she was looking drawn. Her near loss of control was evidence enough of that, as it were. And this was the first time in over a year he had to calm her. He had to work hard this time as well to coax her back from the edge of loosing complete control, and he wondered if she could handle staying here and facing the dangers ahead of her.

However, he still listened carefully in the meeting, especially at what she had to say to the group around the table as she sat in the large chair and crossed her legs at the ankles neatly.

"The key moral belief system in the practice of Wicca is called the Rede, it openly states to 'Do what you may, but never do may harm'. There is also the Law of Three, which guarantees abundance and reward for positive works and energies sent out, and dire consequences for the use of Ritual Magicks to harm or negative energies. You are to accept that the spirits of others exists in a complex web of life, and that true balance must be maintained at all times between nature and the practitioner. Vodou has no such laws, and a Bokor my be hired to perform dark and light rituals with no fear of repercussions in the afterlife or in this life to stop them." She explained clearly and everyone around the table listened carefully to her as she spoke.

The conference room fell silent and she blinked as a printout was handed across the table to her by Stark, he sighed and sat back in the chair he occupied and looked at her as she looked at the page, reading it carefully.

"The doll was stuffed with dirt, I ran an analysis on it and it came back as a mixture of plain old dirt, sulfur, rattlesnake skin, and various kitchen herbs. Not something you want to flavor your favorite spaghetti sauce with either, my lab literally stinks thanks to that stuff." Stark said and Lilliana passed the printout to him and he took it, looking down at the list of herbs and shrugged back at her, unable to make out the meaning of each of the listed plants.

"My specialty is real magic, you are the expert here." He said and she nodded back at him and everyone around the table looked at him in varying degrees of surprise.

"Loki admits he does not know something? That must be a huge blow to your arrogant ego." Stark said, making him glare back at the man who sat across the table from us in his hooded sweater and folded his hands over his stomach casually.

"Can we all stop this?" Lilliana said sharply and passed the paper on to Fury. "We are both trying to help you here, and this whole hate fest is really holding everything up. Especially when there is a doomsday virus hanging over our heads."

Loki sighed at seeing her annoyance and smiled at her, she looked around the room and the respect from some of the people at the table was commendable. She blinked as Fury looked over the list and he set the paper down in front of him, folding his hands on the table in front of him as he nodded his agreement to her.

"Ms. Hawthorne," Fury said and nodded toward her. "Could you please illuminate us as to the contents of the doll. And Stark, shut up for a few minutes so we can get through this."

"Goofer Dust." She said and Stark snickered at the name, her head swung around and she pinned him with a look that stopped him mid giggle.

"Don't laugh Tony, it is powerful Black Magick, the so called regular dirt came from a graveyard. Ground that is saturated with death, and holds souls in their belief system. The blend of herbs is used to curse of Jinx an intended target. This was made very carefully, and with a lot of really bad energies." She said and he looked at Stark who looked back at her, her face turned sad and she sighed.

"Who did this person curse?" Rodgers asked her and she stood up and typed at a computer keyboard sitting on a desk in front of the monitor. She pulled up and image of an old dark skinned man with a white, close cropped beard, and also pulled up an image of the symbol sewn into the doll.

"Papa Legba. This Bokor cursed a Loa." She replied and Fury sat back as Stark rubbed his face and sighed. He pulled out his flask and went to drink from it and tossed it onto the table annoyed when he realized it was empty. He glared at Loki for finishing the alcohol inside it.

"You mean to say that out killer cursed a God." Fury asked and Lilliana, returning to her seat and staring at the table in front of her, pointed her finger at him and sighed.

"Bingo." She said and looked up at him. "Our murderer was using him, controlling him through the doll to do her bidding. Do you still have it by any chance?"

Fury and Stark both nodded at her as they both sat back and looked at her, Stark looking more and more troubled by what she was explaining to them both.

"It is in evidence." Fury said, confirming her question in a roundabout way.

"I need it." She replied and Loki suddenly felt uneasy, he looked at her and she sat back in the chair. Settling herself in further and she blinked at Fury as the shimmer appeared across her eyes from the latent power inside her.

"Why?" Loki asked and Lilliana looked directly at him and blinked the shimmer away.

"We need to know the endgame here, and who we are dealing with." She Said. "The fastest way to get our answers is to summon Papa Legba and offer him a deal."

Loki looked around the room at the people who sat in the chairs around the table, and watched Natasha shake her head and sigh. They were all processing the video and having a very difficult time of comprehending what they all saw, Rodgers looked up at her concerned and shook his head as well.

"Are you serious?" Rodgers asked. "You just said that this is really bad magic, are you sure it should go that far?"

Loki agreed silently with Rogers and sat forward, placing his elbows on the table in front of him and watched everyone again, noticing Lilliana scratching at the back of her hand again. He cleared his throat and she stopped, placing both of her hands on the arms of her chair and looking at the man.

"Do you have any better solutions?" She asked and Natasha sat forward and tapped the top of the table with an open hand to get her attention.

"What about watching the site we have information on?" Natasha suggested, and she looked at Lilliana. "Keep your plan of summoning this Legba as an absolute last resort."

"We do have the address for one of the buildings, Romanoff has a point and we can send you all in with the equipment you will need." Fury said and looked at the center of the table.

"Where?" Stark asked and unzipped his hooded sweater, pulling it off and letting drape behind him messily in the chair.

"An island at the entrance to the Aelutian Island Chain in Alaska. Petersburg Island to be exact. We ran the address and found it to be an abandoned fish cannery in the middle of the town." Fury replied and Loki watched Lilliana as concern crossed her face, but she stayed quiet and looked down at the smooth surface of the table. He knew she did not want to stay here this long, and delaying her return to Asgard was becoming worrying for her.

"Maybe they will have a computer or some other hardware there that will give us more clues as to where the other two holding locations are, or even who is doing all this." She said softly, and Rodgers stood up and started walking out of the room. He was ready for any sort of action needed to be taken, and Loki watched as Fury stopped the man with a whistle.

"Stake it out before you go in, and these two are going to need some body armor. Get them outfitted as soon as you can, I will provide other equipment and a vehicle." Fury said as Stark stood up and stretched.

"I may just have the thing, and it may be bite proof." Stark said and motioned for Loki and Lilliana to follow him. Everyone paused as she stayed in her seat, and he wondered what she was thinking to herself as she sat and stared in front of her quietly.

"Something on your mind Ms. Hawthorne?" Fury asked her sharply and she jerked her head around to look at the man. Loki wanted to shout at the man for his cruelty, but managed to stay calm for her benefit.

"How many people live on that Island?" She asked and her eyebrows knotted as she visibly fought the urge to scratch her hand in her nervousness.

"A little over two thousand." Fury replied and she looked at him in shock.

"I hope you are wrong." She said and stood up. "If they used the virus, two thousand people could be infected."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

I put on the white tank top, pulling it over my head and tucked it into my black combat pants while shoving my feet into a pair of black Danner boots as Loki and Steve walked in. I glanced up at the Combat Vest that Steve was carrying and sighed at the uncomfortable looking garment he carried in his hands. The black and gray padded monster made underwire bras look more comfortable and I did not look forward to putting it on, I noticed he had another one over his arm as Loki looked at me and it. Loki looked at my clothes, which were a match to his, and looked at me with veiled concern.

"I want you to wear this," He said and Loki raised an eyebrow at the vest skeptically. "It will make Tony and I feel better about having you along, and it will make me feel better knowing that you are protected in the event of a firefight. That is not really a request either, you are not combat tested and we are worried about bringing you into this."

"May I ask what that is?" Loki said and Steve opened a pocket on the chest and removed a plate that protected the heart from a gunshot, handing it to Loki who turned it over in his hands and looked at him again. Steve took in a breath and looked from me to Loki calmly, it was not the steel armor he was used to and it may take a demonstration to get Loki to believe that this thing was actual body armor.

"It is called Individual Ballistic Armor, or IBA for short. The military and Law Enforcement wear them to protect the vital organs in the event of a shootout." Steve said as Loki weighed the plate in his hands, and looked at me.

"Body Armor Loki." I said, "Vests like that save lives all the time, but suck big time to wear from what I understand. I saw a documentary on History Channel once." I said as Loki handed Steve back the plate, and the vest was reassembled. Steve handed it over to me and I looked at the two men, and began to argue.

"I'm immortal guys, any bullets that fly at me will just heal and I will pop back up. Believe me there, I really don't need this at all." I said and Loki sighed as I tried to hand the twenty pound vest back to Steve.

"If it does work, keep it on, and wear it Lilliana." Loki sighed and I started to form a new argument against having to wear it, but relented, pulling it over my head and wishing that I could pull it back off as the weight came down onto my shoulders. It nearly threw me off balance and caused me to sag a bit and I groaned, it think the weight on my shoulders compressed my spine a bit and I lost an inch of height. Steve helped me adjust the vest using the clips and straps and I groaned as the heavy thing tweaked my back one way and pressed my breasts flat against me painfully.

"It does work, but it weighs a freaking ton. Seriously, it is the new millennium, how is Spider-silk armor is still in development?." I groaned to Steve and Loki watched as I struggled. "The fibers in the vest are made out of a cloth called Kevlar, it absorbs the impact from a bullet and the plates are made from compressed porcelain fused with metal shards. I may break a rib, depending on the caliber of the bullet flying at me, and it will hurt like hell, but it will not penetrate the vest. And I think I would rather not wear it."

"And we don't have to test how immortal you claim to be." Steve said as he looked at me and I shrugged as I picked up a black button up shirt to put over the vest, feeling like a fat guy at a pool party. Loki watched me struggle a bit as I loosened my belt and buttoned the shirt, tucking it into my pants and moving around a bit in it and feeling the weight of the body armor shift under my shirt uncomfortably.

"It is really horrible to wear, I really don't need it." I said and moved to unbutton my shirt to remove the vest, but Loki stopped me quickly. His hands closed over mine, and I frowned up at him as I tried not to sag under the added weight.

"Leave it on. For our peace of mind." Loki said and I looked up at him and sighed and Steve nodded at me.

"I would hate to see a lady get hurt, and you will get used to it." Steve said and I smiled at the two men as I twisted my torso in the vest and tested my flexibility using my arms for leverage as I moved. Loki glanced at Steve who picked up the other vest off the table and shoved it at him, Loki looked at it and I laughed knowing how much fun it was going to be to watch Steve try to get him to wear the damn thing.

"You get one too, Fury's orders. He does not really want Thor after us because you are recovering from a gunshot wound," Steve said and I took the vest from him as he left the room.

"Here, I guess I shouldn't suffer alone." I said and held the vest up for him and the glared down at the thing and then at me.

"Wear it for me? We may end up getting shot at, and think of it as an insurance policy."

Yeah, I used the pouty girl face...I am shameless.

"I do not like the idea of any of this." He said and unbuttoned his own shirt and slipped it off his shoulders, taking the vest from me and pulling it over his head. I helped him adjust it and he complied, but non verbally protested a bit at me as I adjusted it around him.

"What about it bothers you most?" I asked him as he put his shirt back on and I sat down in a chair to finish tying my tactical boots, but found it to be a bit of a struggle thanks to the damn vest and the plates. Loki knelt down and finished lacing and tying them for me and looked up at me as he worked.

"I don't like any of this." He said. "We were only meant to be a few hours, and now we are here for a longer period of time than originally planned. I especially do not like the idea of you going in against Draugrs. They are relentless according to legend, and I do not want you to get hurt."

"I saw the video." I groaned as I put on a shoulder holster and fit a Springfield arms XD 9 into it under my arm, a little gift from Natasha. She thought the smaller pistol would be perfect for my hands, and I hated to admit it, but she was right. It was less bulky than the Glock 1911 I had carried in the past, and it had a secondary safety on the hand grip that made it a better weapon for me.

"I can't just sit by while this nightmare spreads and gets out of control, and you know that." I said and he sighed at me. "You do, and you can't walk away either, I can't let one madman kill everyone while there is something I can do to stop it. I also do not like the idea of you being a pawn in world domination again, believe me there."

He watched me as I slipped the four extra magazines into a holder on my belt, working just to keep my hands busy and I closed my eyes briefly trying to shake the nightmare from my head again. I shrugged a jacket on over everything and put my hands on the table and shook, some part of me afraid that I would not come out the other side of this the same person I was going in. I felt hands on my waist through the body armor, and I turned around to see Loki standing close to me and I sighed as I looked into his eyes.

"Just promise me one thing." He said and held my face between his hands. "You will not be foolish and run headlong into danger, should it become too much for you to handle, run and live. Even if it means leaving me behind."

I shook my head at the second part of what he wanted me to promise, and he knew full well I would not abandon him or anyone else if I had to run. I put my hand up on his cheek and smiled at him as he watched me closely. He rested his forehead against mine and I shivered from the emotions in me and tried not to run screaming from the room as I stood close to him.

"I promise." I said and looked up at Loki. "Just so long as you accept that I have survived so much worse, and that I am pretty darn hard to kill. I am also going to try and get you all out with me, I don't want to abandon the people who care about me. Me heap big powerful being."

He laughed at my joke and his hands trailed down to my hips and he pulled me close to him and I blushed a bit and smiled as I wrapped my arms around his neck and giggled.

"I do find your confidence attractive, and I did find these in my coat pocket. It is quite the mystery how they got there." He said and pulled the handcuffs from earlier out of his back pocket and I giggled at him and the joke. He let the cuffs dangle from a finger and I laughed again as he smiled at me and I stepped up on the toes of his boots for a quick kiss.

"And I like your silly masculine desire to protect me, and I may have put them there." I said as our lips met, our moment interrupted as the door opened suddenly and Tony groaned openly at the both of us. He leaned back trough the doorway and looked down the hall in exasperation, holding up a case to shield his face.

"Oh God. They are doing it again. Steve, get the hose!" He yelled down the hall and I rolled my eyes at his complete lack of maturity. Loki pulled back and crossed his arms, and I let out a long breath as I crossed my own arms.

"Still haven't mastered knocking?" I said and Tony winked at me.

"Impeccable timing Stark, as always." Loki said and I laughed, backing away from Loki as Tony yanked the handcuffs away from his fingers, I giggled at the look Tony gave them as he set the case down on the table and rolled his eyes as he tossed them at the trashcan in the corner of the room.

"You two are definitely not allowed to do whatever you were planning on doing with those. Especially on this planet, and I am taking away all your Netflix rights for thinking it." Tony said and I laughed loudly at his joke.

"I think we broke him again." I said as I giggled, throwing my head back as Loki smiled in amusement.

"I am inclined to concur." Loki said and smiled smugly.

"Number one, I really like her, she has never thrown me through a window. Number two, I bring gifts for good little boys and girls, so Loki you are out on that one." He said and opened the case. Inside were a pair of armored arm guards with a readout embedded into each wrist, we watched as he lifted them out and handed it to me. It was surprisingly lightweight for the design, and the readout began taking ambient air temperature and other readouts displayed on the small screen on the wrist.

"I only have one pair though, so it looks like you two get to fight over who gets to wear them. Chivalry says that out smart little lady get them though." He said and looked at me, opening one and holding it out for me.

"For once, I am in agreement Stark." Loki said and helped me out of my jacket as Tony picked up and pressed a button on the inside of the wrist that collapsed the plates into the band, making it look like a normal cuff bracelet and he snapped the band onto my wrist and locked it into place.

"Press the button on the inside of the wrist, and the plates slide out and protect your arm should anything get bitey. This also reads your pulse and respiration, has a built in pedometer, and reads ambient temperature in your immediate environment." He said and demonstrated, the plates slid out along my arm smoothly. The readout showed the peaks and spikes of my heart rate as he lifted the other one and locked it into place.

"There is a tracking chip in these too, you get separated from us and we can find you with an error of five feet, give or take." He said and collapsed the guard back into the band and held up a tracking module that had basic directions on it and handed it to Loki.

"Chivalry is not really dead after all, it is just maimed and limping." I said as Tony showed Loki how the tracker worked pointing it away from me and toward me slowly. His eyes following the instruction carefully how to turn it on and off, and the number readout at the bottom stating how far away I was from his position. Loki frowned down at the device and took several steps back and looked at it and then up at me. I felt a little bit better with these things on me, and knowing that I had three people watching my back and smiled to myself, breaking into giggles as Steve walked back into the room carrying his trademark shield.

"What?" He asked me and I pointed at the shield and he looked down at it and glared back at me.

"This is just a stakeout right? Isn't that a bit obvious?" I asked him and both Tony and Loki verbally agreed with me. Steve looked up at the ceiling and had a look on his face that could only be described as "Jesus give me strength" and then back at me. I shrugged my shoulders and tension built in the room, directed at me as Fury entered the room with an envelope and looked at the four of us. He held the manila envelope and looked at each person in the room, stopping at me and sizing me up in my new clothes. He did not hide the fact that they looked completely alien on me, namely because I looked like a kid.

"Which one of you is driving?" He asked and my hand shot up and everyone else in the room looked at me like it was not a good idea. I threw my hands out and got annoyed as Tony formed a bad joke in his head, I could tell it was coming from the look on his face.

"Are we sure Herimonie Granger should drive?" Tony asked and I glared at him annoyed with his joke.

"I'm Short." I said, making a good argument. "Put me in the back seat, and I can't see anything. Also, I do not do shotgun well at all, I get carsick. You so do not want that."

Steve looked at me while Tony weighed the options of having a vomiting five foot nothing midget in a vehicle with him, and sighed and pointed at me and nodded. Fury handed me the packet and I tore it open, finding a key and a map of the island along with some information on the former cannery. I put the key in my pants pocket and handed Tony the papers and smiled proudly at my small victory.

"Shotgun?" Loki asked me and Tony chuckled.

"Passenger seat." I said and Fury cleared his throat to get our attention, and I gave him a look that screamed not to interrupt.

"Natasha is going to fly you to the point the car was left at the southernmost tip of the island, far from any residences. Local authorities have been notified, and should leave you alone. Should anything go wrong, and I do mean anything, the four of you are to immediately evac and meet Natasha at the nearest pickup point, Does anyone have any questions?" He asked and scanned the room, looking at each of us.

"What should we do if anyone becomes infected out of the four of us?" Loki asked and everyone else in the room became uncomfortable fast.

"People skills, not a cool question Loki." I said and he looked at me.

"You have less than a minute from exposure to reanimation." Fury said and fixed his eye on him, "Make sure they stay dead."

I swallowed hard as the full weight of Fury's words hit me, I didn't think that I had it in me to put a bullet in anyone's brain, and I inwardly wondered if they could do the same for me. I shivered at the thought of Loki having to kill me a second time, and sent out a silent prayer to whatever fate was listening to keep us all from that nightmare.

"Next stupid question." Tony said and we all looked at him. "Can these things even be killed again?"

Fury and Steve looked at me and I shrugged unsure of whether or not they could be taken back out at all, I looked down and the queasy feeling returned briefly. I was not sure of that myself, and I hoped my guess would be the right one. We could not afford to be wrong when it came down to it.

"If we go by pop culture, It says to destroy the brain by any means you can find. And seeing how Prions really do function in the cerebral fluid, it is probably our best bet to aim for the the head. We should also consider burning the remains to prevent further spread of the infection. They were once human too Tony, remember that, they died so we are just putting them back to rest before more people die. They were not things, they were living beings once just like us." I said and wished I never opened my mouth.

"And if one of us gets infected?" He looked directly at me in challenge and repeating Loki's question to test my reaction, I sighed and looked down.

"We are already dead, just put that person down." I said grimly and looked back at him as I slapped a magazine into a Glock 1911 and clipped the holster to Loki's belt. Steve looked from the gun to Loki, and I clipped four extra magazines to his belt as well. Loki tolerated the gun but rolled his eyes at it, he was used to more elegant weapons.

"Do you want an undead God on your hands?" I challenged Steve and everyone looked at Fury silently.

"Well that is something I never needed to think about." Steve said and looked queasy again. "Maybe we should form a plan if we have to engage any infected and if things get out of hand."

I looked down at my feet and laughed as everyone looked at me and stretched my hands out at my sides with the palms up and called forth fire, looking around the room slowly and seeing their reactions. Fury looked at Tony and he shrugged as Steve stepped back cautiously with his hands out.

"If it is angry, or tries to bite you, shoot it. Things get too hairy, I will just burn the place down." I said and pulled the fire back into me. Everyone except for Loki shifted and Steve looked at Tony and Fury as we started for the door.

"Did you know she could do that?" Steve asked and Tony laughed as we passed through another door on our way out to the jet that cycled on the grassy lawn while waiting for us.

"She can do so much more Rogers." Loki said and we walked over the grass, the gardener working as if this were business as usual, laying more sod over our arrival spot.

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I sat in the Jump seat, tapping my foot nervously as we flew somewhere over the Midwest and we entered Canadian Airspace. Tony drummed on a metal briefcase he brought with him, his hands tapping a stattico rhythm as Steve paced the length of the craft one way and then the other. Loki had his head back against the hull with his eyes closed next to me, and I resisted making a "Somebody wake up Hicks" joke. I actually envied his complete lack of nervousness at that moment, or he just had an amazing way of not showing how anxious he really was. I shifted in my seat and tried to not be afraid as Steve continued to pace, looking at me at random as he walked.

"So what is your story?" Steve said and stopped pacing, he looked down at me and I sighed at the question. He was probably trying to take his mind off his own fears and nervousness, so I gave him a pass on being a bit of an asshole.

"Ask Tony." I said and crossed my arms. "He pulled all my records, and pretty much knows everything."

Me? Bitter about that one...nah. I am completely above holding a grudge.

"I want to hear it from you." Steve replied and I kind of respected the guy for that, he asked me instead of making assumptions based on a bunch of notes taken by court mandated psychologists. Loki opened one eye and glared at Steve, I uncrossed my arms and Tony continued playing his makeshift bongo.

"You woke up Hicks." I said and cocked a thumb at Loki and Tony snorted in amusement as I stretched my legs out in front of me crossing them at the ankles and regarded him for a minute. Judging briefly if he had any ulterior motive in questioning my story, and began wondering if he was for real. I never told anyone beyond Loki anything about myself, mainly because I had trust issues for days. Also, I knew that Loki would never judge me for my past, or make me drag out my personal demons against my will. Plus Loki shared some very deeply personal stuff with me, and we pretty much kept each others secrets.

"What is your angle?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. "Team building exercise? Or can we just skip the part where I admit that I don't play well with others and move on with what needs to be done?"

Tony stopped drumming with his hands and Loki smugly closed his eye again as Steve glared at me, pretty much starting a standoff I intended to win.

"If he is Hicks, are you Ripley?" Tony asked and I grinned at him as Loki opened his eye again and rolled it as he closed it again.

"Hell to the yes, but you are so Hudson." I laughed and Steve crossed his arms and sighed.

"I just want to know why you agreed to stay here and what his angle is." Steve said while pointing at Loki who kept his eyes closed and remained calm, as he took in a breath and shifted to get more comfortable.

"Game over man." Tony said and I grinned.

"I am here to keep Lilliana safe. Nothing more Rodgers." Loki said and I nodded my agreement at his statement, Steve resumed pacing, flexing his hands and turning on his heel as he moved back and forth.

This guy was making my trust issues look good.

Tony resumed banging on his case and I found myself feeling irritated at him, wanting to throw the damn thing out the back of the jet if he did not stop. I glared at him and he stopped, setting the case down on the floor by his feet and sat back in his seat as I closed my eyes. I started counting how many steps Steve took as he paced to give my mind something to focus on, getting to twenty-nine when he stopped suddenly and I heard his sigh in front of me.

"What Steve." I said and opened my eyes, not making any effort to hide how annoyed I was becoming with him and he sat down in another jump seat across from me. Loki opened his eyes again but left his head resting on the hull and sighed as he put his hand on my thigh and looked at me concerned, and I knew why. An explosive outburst from me could be very bad for everyone on this jet, and the very expensive jet in general.

"Calm down Little Mouse." He said and I groaned, letting out a deep breath slowly and took another one in through my nose even slower. I watched Tony and Steve and flexed my fingers quietly, regaining control of my emotions.

"Look, I am really not into the whole 'Sharing is Caring' thing." I explained to Steve and sat forward resting my elbows on my knees as he watched me calmly.

"Half the time, I struggle with my own stuff too much to care what other people care about me. So, you sort of have to take me at face value. Don't like it, ask for a new assignment." I said and sat back as he looked at me and studied me for a moment, obviously not used to being told that stuff was none of his business. The stand off between our wills continued, and I had just drawn a very deep line in the sand in front of him and dared him to cross it at his own risk.

"Twenty minutes!" Natasha shouted back and the knowledge that we would soon be out of the cramped jet eased some of my tension. My claustrophobia was kicking into high gear and I really did not want to have a panic attack in front of everyone. Thankfully, Loki and I were the only persons on the jet aware of my fear of windowless spaces and I was not about to let on that I could not completely handle everything.

Steve looked at Tony, who shrugged and put the hood of his black hoodie up and sighed as he leaned back in his seat. Tony and I had our shit out a couple years ago, and we were still cool with one another. I liked the guy and did not want to change it, plus he hooked me up with cool toys. Even if he was a royal pain in the ass every time he caught Loki and I together.

"He knows about how you saved the West Coast Princess." Tony said and winked at me. "I'm kind of wondering now if you discovered any new neat powers or tricks you can do."

I held up my hand and smiled at him, and looked at Steve as I began to list off everything I could do and watched him with open amusement as he turned pale as I listed off everything I could do. Tapping each finger on my hand as I listed the gifts I had discovered.

"Teleportation, pyrokenisis, time travel, I can bend and shift my center of gravity, create illusions. I can also use the molecular structure of air to temporarily give it mass to knock people or objects over, shift fault lines, bend energy and alter it's structure, heal other people of their injuries and illnesses, and I can kill you with my brain." I said, throwing in the last bit as a joke, eliciting a laugh from Loki who sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, taking in a long breath and laughing again.

"You forgot immortal." Loki said and I laughed a bit. "Also, you are telekinetic."

"You are what?" Steve asked me, not understanding the word, so I focused on his shield and made it lift off the ground and float freely toward him where he plucked it out of the air and looked at it wide eyed, his face showing the shock he felt.

"How Carrie got revenge at the Prom." I said, finding my own amusement in the look on Steve's face as his hands tightened on the metal shield, I then pulled my gun and threw it up into the air and ejected the magazine and ejected the shell into the air with my mind, putting the shell back into the magazine and reloading the pistol, racking the slide back before I grabbed it out of the air and put it back into the holster. I was being a total asshole there, but it was fun to watch him turn pale.

"Well every D and D party needs a healer." Tony said and I laughed at his joke and pointed at Loki.

"Wizard." I said and gave Tony a questioning look as I pointed at Steve.

"Warrior, and I would so be the Bard." He said and I laughed as both Steve and Loki missed our joke completely.

"This entire adventure may just be fun after all." Loki said sardonically and he leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes again as I felt the jet slowly start to descend. I stood up and looked out the windscreen over Natasha's seat and sighed as I saw the island ahead of us, I turned around and looked at the three men and grabbed the back of her seat as we hit an air pocket and I nearly lost my balance. I stood quietly as the trees came closer to the hull and eventually opened into a paved road, groaning at the black Esclade parked at the side of the highway.

"Fury couldn't have chosen a car that does less a job of screaming 'Government Agents' could he?" I asked and Tony shrugged as Loki walked up behind me and looked out the window as we made out final approach.

"Technically, only two of us are Government Agents." Steve said and I rolled my eyes at him and flexed my neck as I opened my palm to create a ball of fire in my palm.

"Do not finish that statement Steve." I warned and he backed off slowly, Loki put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. I closed my hand over the ball, and sighed.

"That's my girl." Loki said into my ear and I smiled.

We touched down and Steve opened the loading ramp with a hiss of hydraulics as Natasha prepared to take back off again and find a safe place to wait should we need to be evacuated immediately. A knot formed in my stomach as I began walking down the ramp and I fished the keys out of my pocket. I hit the unlock button and watched as the head and tail lights blinked once, welcoming us cheerfully despite the cheerless job we were going to be walking into.

I climbed up into the driver's seat and began scrolling through my phone for music as Steve got into the vehicle behind me. The passenger side opened and I glanced over to see Tony and Loki an a non-verbal standoff over the passenger seat and sighed audibly as they both looked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Loki gets bropilot." I said as I selected Imagine Dragons from the list and looked up at Tony sheepishly.

"You are not in charge of this operation." Tony said and I looked at the both of them in exasperation as the jet dusted off behind us.

"Raise your hand if you can turn Tony into a six year old girl." I said and raised my hand as Loki raised his, a wicked grin creeping across his face. Tony looked at the both of us openly worried, and I wiggled my eyebrows at him. He relented and got in the back seat and I giggled a bit knowing that I had done pretty good at winning this round.

"Can you really do that?" Steve asked behind me and I glanced into the rear view mirror at him as Loki got into his seat and settled in.

"No." I said and laughed. "I just wanted to end the argument."

I put the car into gear as Tony groaned at my joke, so far everything was going well and I hoped it stayed that way. Tony began drumming his fingers on his briefcase in time with the music and I pulled the car onto the highway slowly. I bumped through a pothole on accident, and something heavy in the storage compartment rattled and shifted loudly. I slammed on the brakes and all four of us turned to the back of the vehicle in our respective seats. I nervously looked at both Tony and Steve, and they shifted in their seats and looked behind us.

"What was that?" Loki asked and I put the car in park. All four of us got out and walked around to the back of the Esclade and I pulled my gun and pointed it at the cargo hold as Tony reached out and opened the hatchback.

It lifted on automatic pistons and slowly glided up to reveal a blanket covered mass as we stood back and Steve reached in to pull it away, revealing six hard shelled cases in the back. Four of them longer than they were wide. I holstered my pistol and walked forward to open one finding four combat radios complete with hands free activation. Just talk, and everyone can hear you. Just be careful what you talk about, because everyone can hear you. Steve put his shield in the cargo area as Loki pulled another long case out and opened it, raising an eyebrow at the contents as he turned it toward me.

"Looks like Fury supplied us with party favors." Tony said as I pulled the Colt AR-15 out of the foam lined case and hefted the weight of the carbon steel assault rifle. I brought the butt up to my shoulder and sighted down the barrel as Steve opened another case to show several grenades resting in foam packing and we all went quiet.

"Fury really loves to play Santa Claus." I said as I looked down at the fragmentation grenades and glanced around at Tony and Steve. Tony gave a nervous laugh, and looked at the rifle as I rested the butt on the toe of my boot with my hand around the barrel and opened another case to find an identical rifle in it.

"Is it a good idea to hold that like you are?" Tony asked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Pacifist." I quipped and grinned. "It is not loaded anyways, nothing can go wrong."

"What the hell does he think we are up against?" Steve asked as he ran his hand over the rifle in the case the deadly blue steel shining in the sun.

"Zombies Steve." I said and put the rifle back into the case Loki was holding and looked at the rifle, thinking to myself about how completely wrong this whole situation was.

"We may need all the firepower we can get if the whole town is infected." I said and Loki turned pale as Steve closed the case he had opened and sighed, I felt everyone's concern and fear as I stood in front of Loki and watched him as he picked up the rifle and tested the weight in his hands as he set the case down in the back of the car. He turned it over in his hands and looked at the receiver and studied it carefully as he looked at me.

"Will there even be effective against them?" Loki asked and Tony nodded. I picked up a magazine and slid one of the bullets out into my hand and held it up for him to see it.

"Try shooting the head first." I said as he took the projectile from my hand and looked at it. "Remember what I said about Prions, they function in the brain fluid. And with a round that big, you don't have to be a surgeon. That will blow a barn door out the back of someone's head. Just don't go all 'spray and pray.'"

"And how do you operate this weapon?" Loki asked me as he handed me back the bullet, and I slipped it back into the magazine as Steve sighed and Tony looked at me patiently.

I put my hands out for the rifle and he handed it to me and I patiently walked him through basic operations. I then showed him how to switch out magazines. Steve looked pale at the entire lesson as Tony grew more and more amused at the entire situation. I let him dry fire it a few times and repeat the motions of loading and unloading it a few times before returning it to the case and closing it up. He nodded his understanding and I smiled at him as Steve looked on concerned about handing the God of Mischief a high powered rifle, I closed the hatchback and leaned against it.

Twirling the key ring around my finger I sighed and looked at the three men around me and they regarded me with varying degrees of concern.

"I don't like any of this," Steve said and I found myself quietly agreeing with him as I looked at him sadly.

"The war was easy, the Chituari was easy, this..." He said and trailed off as I looked at the three of them, finishing Steve's statement.

"It could be a firefight against civilians, people who did not ask to be in the middle of this." I said and felt sick to my stomach for even thinking something like that.

"Imagine what will happen to this realm, should this infection spread unchecked. How many mortals will die." Loki said and Steve glared up at him, angry about the truth of the whole situation being told, I sighed and rubbed my face with both of my hands.

"Magic Dance is right there Steve, this can't get out. If it does, we can kiss the entire planet goodbye. Global terrorism is pretty much a fact of life anymore, someone was bound to bake this nightmare up eventually. But here and now, the four of us have a chance to stop it." I said and we all stood around in a loose circle and looked at each other.

"I know this is going to be hard for everyone here," Tony said gesturing as he spoke to all of us. "But we are going to have to trust one another, and I for one do not want to have one of you get infected on me. The idea of having to kill one of you because of a stupid mistake bothers me beyond any semblance of reason right now. We go into this together or not at all."

I crossed my arms and glared at him and Steve looked up and groaned, the trust issues were getting out of hand with this group and I was really sick of it all. But in the end Tony was right, if we messed up, someone here was going to end up dead because of one stupid thing: we did not work together.

"Fuck." I groaned out and Loki glared at me about my language, Steve looked at me shocked and I threw my arms out and looked at the sky.

"Language." Steve said reflexively and flinched knowing he had let a tic out of the bag. We all turned and looked at him and I laughed a bit, failing to stay cool at the sudden outburst.

"Did you really?" I asked and Tony laughed a bit as well.

"He did." Tony replied and Steve shoved his hands into his pockets and we both continued to laugh, Loki joining in and rolling his eyes.

"Well fudge ripples Steve, you and Loki have one gosh darn thing in common. Shucks guys, you both should share a swell-a-riffic bro hug." I said and Tony threw his head back and laughed harder and I gave into a giggle fit. Loki sighed and I took in a deep breath to end my fit of laughter, wiping tears from my eyes and looking at the macadam highway beneath us.

"We should get moving." Steve said and I nodded as I gave him a salute and clicked my heels together.

"Swell idea Steve." I said and Tony laughed again.

"And for gosh sakes Princess, watch your bad, bad language." Tony quipped and I threw my head back and laughed as I held my stomach and doubled over.

"I have never seen her turn that color of red before." Loki said and Steve joined in laughing as we all got back into the car and collected ourselves. Turning over the engine and heading off down the highway toward the town of Petersburg, and hopefully a quiet stakeout.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

She had lost the doll, and now everything was at risk.

Leonie still had her plague though, but the loss of her control over the Loa was going to slow down her progress greatly. The two men in the room watched her as she paced and kept their distance, which was a smart move on their part. When she got mad, she tended to hurt someone and they both valued their lives enough to keep back from her. They watched her as she sat heavily on the aged stool and sighed as she began working, cloth and thread creating a new doll to control Papa Legba as she began pulling various jars of herbs close to her to fill the talisman with her power and will.

"Is everything ready in Alaska, Florida, and Wisconsin?" She barked at the two men, her normally light accent becoming more pronounced as she worked on the new poppet in front of her, hurrying to bless it before Legba took back the gifts he had given, and returned for his payment. She could feel her control on him slipping, and she had to be fast, otherwise the cost of his assistance would be great.

"All preparations are in place, but Florida is behind schedule. It has become harder to find victims that will not be missed by families or have someone raise a fuss over them." The dark skinned Haitian said, his cotton blue button-up shirt hanging loose on his painfully thin frame as he nervously watched the woman work. He hoped that she would not become more agitated and take her anger out on him.

"There were some complications in Alaska, but the virus remains contained at the moment. Charles is waiting for your orders to release it into the population, should you wish it to be done." He said and she smiled at him like a proud mother.

"Thank you Thomas." She said to the man and passed him a lucky Mojo Bag as a blessing for his loyalty and the good news he delivered to her, regarding the other man with detachment and disdain. He brought the bag to his lips and held it between his palms as he smiled at the woman in respect. She returned to her work, admiring the small poppet as she filled it with Goofer Dust and began stitching it shut, listening to the two men making their reports as her head bowed to her needle, working diligently and silently blessing the object. Both men knew to be silent at this point in her ritual, and they quietly observed her as she worked. Still keeping a distance, but interested in what she was doing.

"What of SHIELD, have they summoned Thor?" She asked as she finished her prayers over the doll, and the two men shifted uncomfortably as she looked up and frowned. Her eyes darted from one man to the other and she took in a long breath as she waited for the answer.

"No." Thomas replied and put his hands up quickly to the woman in supplication hoping her anger would not lead her to beating him or worse. "Our watcher in their ranks says they have not, but another has come in his place, a different Loa."

Leonie angrily slammed her scissors flat onto the desk and the two men jumped at the sudden outburst, she picked up a knife that was laying nearby and pointed it at the two men and hissed at them. Their failure could not go unpunished, and they both stood firmly and waited for her to deal out the blows. Both men braced and waited.

"We need God Blood in the ritual to summon the Sword of Dargumiin. Without it, I cannot control the power from it, and it will seek out a new handler." She hissed and pointed the blade at both of the men to drive her point home as they both recoiled and raised their hands to her in a silent plea for their lives.

"Mama Leonie, please. There is promising reports from our eyes inside. Loki and another, a woman are with them. They came to stop us, but I know that you will use them both to cause them to fail. There still is God Blood among us, and it is in him and possibly the woman." Thomas said and she smiled widely at the revelation, her grin filling her face and lightening her eyes until they sparkled.

"Anansi." She said and threw her head back and laughed, amused that she would be using the trickster god to complete her ritual. It felt fitting after all, that the God who hated Earth would be the one to help her conquer it.

"He is unpredictable in nature, but the woman you speak of, the one you think may also carry God Blood in her veins. Tell me of her Thomas." Leonie said and sat back down in her seat as the two men told her of the black haired girl with galaxies in her eyes. Her tongue running over her teeth as she listened to the reports thoughtfully, and the details surrounding the woman were given to her from their source inside SHIELD, the one so carefully planted and controlled by Stephen.

Papa Legba was truly on her side after all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Stakeouts are boring. Like really, really boring.

We all got lattes from the small coffee stand in the center of town and sat in the car sipping at our drinks as we watched the building off the pier in the middle of town. Steve rustled the newspaper he got from the same stand as he read silently and I tried to not loose my mind from boredom. I shifted and cracked my window and took another drink as we all stared at the quiet, brown building across the street from us. I leaned back into my seat and yawned, wiping the tears that popped into my eyes from the action and sighed. I glanced down at my phone and returned to my game of Angry Birds as Loki looked over my shoulder, smiling as I won another level and I began a new attack on the little green pigs.

"Anyone have a pen?" Steve asked. "I want to work the crossword."

I set my phone aside and dug through the center console and found one, I passed it back to him and snuck in a quick stretch as he took it. Giving tired back muscles some relief as I picked up the phone again and used my last life to miss completely the computerized structure and had to wait for them to refill.

"Working the New York Times Crossword in pen, that is the definition of confidence." Tony said and I laughed as Loki removed the lid from his cup and took a drink from his Chai Latte. Steve folded the paper carefully and began thinking about his puzzle, I looked down at my phone again and opened Jewels and began switching colored gems around on my screen as Loki looked over my shoulder again and switched two around for me, creating a cascade of matches and I looked at him as he smiled sheepishly at me. I rolled my eyes and he sat back and regarded me and shrugged.

We all sighed in relief as we pulled into the town three hours ago and saw it was what we assumed to be business as usual, the infection was still in its box and we took in the surprisingly Norwegean touches that dotted the town here and there. The storefronts all displayed posters celebrating the High School Football team's big win at State Finals and fishermen loaded a battered Ford truck with supplies from the IGA as we passed, a couple of kids sat in front of a store called Hammer and Wikan eating ice cream and waved at us. We circled the block as we came up to the building on the docks, and found an empty space in front of the True Value Hardware to sit and start our watch.

The whole town was basically a Norman Rockwell purgatory, complete with an old man sitting in the barber shop window, waiting for his next customer.

I shifted in my seat again and my spine screamed at me in pain from being sedentary for too long. Loki finished the last of his drink and replaced the lid, tapping his fingers on the empty cup. He glanced up in the mirror and then back out the windshield at the drab building and I felt my head nod slightly and the phone slip from my fingers as I dozed.

"Ten letter word for light up or inform." Steve said and I jerked my head back up and rolled the window down the rest of the way as Tony took out his cell phone and started playing what sounded like Fruit Ninja. I blinked and shook my head as Loki looked at me amused, I rubbed my face and gave him a dirty look.

"Illuminate." I said tersely and tried not to feel the crushing boredom, because in this particular case, boredom was a godsend and should be celebrated.

"I have to ask, and feel free to not answer. You are this supreme being Princess," Tony said and paused to make a quick swipe across his phone. "Can you lift Thor's hammer?"

Three sets of eyes fell on me and I had to laugh at the question, shaking my head I leaned back and saw Loki chuckling at it as well. I had never really thought about if I could or not, Sif and Fandral once told me that it was enchanted or something to make it so that only certain people could lift it, and I always assumed I was such a pain in the ass that I wouldn't be able to.

"I have actually never tried to be honest." I said and laughed as I looked at Loki. "Could you picture Thor's face if I could lift it? Oh the chaos!"

Loki laughed harder as he thought about it, and Steve groaned a bit as he shifted in his seat and the three of us laughed at the idea alone.

"Please, I am formally imploring you, make an attempt to lift Mjolnir. I want to see what would happen to Thor, should you succeed." Loki laughed and I relaxed outwardly and leaned my head back on the seat as I giggled and glanced over at Loki and smiled at him.

"What do I get if I lift it?" I said and he smiled.

"You would be Queen, and I would worship at your feet. Your most loyal subject, and I would defend your title." Loki replied and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't want to be Queen, I need a way better deal than that. This wager has to be really sweet for me to attempt to pull off a coup." I joked at him and he smiled back at me, knowing that I probably would never even try or succeed in lifting the damn thing.

"Promise you will marry her." Steve said, not looking up from his puzzle and I blushed.

"Steve!" I said shocked and laughed at it. "Are you turning sassy girlfriend on me back there?"

"No, just wanting you three to stop talking about overthrowing a kingdom." He said and I rolled my eyes and groaned.

"I already said I don't want to be queen, sounds boring anyways." I said and he looked up from his puzzle and grinned at me, I laughed as Loki put on a serious expression and looked at me.

"Then what do you want?" Tony asked and I laughed, not sure at all what I really wanted.

"I don't know, don't put me on the spot." I groaned as every one in the car looked at me, and I leaned forward onto the steering wheel. I laughed and hit the dashboard as we all smiled at torturing each other and I sat back and looked at the quiet building across the street.

"I will wed you should you lift Mjolnir. Perhaps an eternity with you would not be such a bad wager." Loki said and my mouth fell open and I laughed at his bet.

"Throw in some idle worship at my awesomeness, and you have a deal." I said and he laughed at me as he raised his eyebrow.

"We have an accord." He said and offered me his hand to shake on the bet, and I took it and laughed. Tony raised a hand in the backseat and I looked at him.

"Can Natasha be a bridesmaid? I just want to see her in a really ugly dress." He said and I laughed as Steve went back to his puzzle and sighed at the bunch of us. Loki smiled back at Tony and winked as I rubbed my face in my hands, realizing that I had just wagered my freedom away. I regretted it immediately, what if I could lift the hammer?

"You guys really lack maturity." Steve said and I closed my tired eyes and the late afternoon sun began to set on the on the other side of an island across the bay. I rolled my eyes at him and groaned as I looked back at the cannery and the only sound in the car became the sound of Steve's newspaper and let out a long sigh.

"Maturity has nothing to do with me Steve, and growing up is a subjective term. We did all need that laugh though. I am such a pain, and have caused so much trouble in my lifetime, I probably can't even wiggle the damn thing anyways. And I am talking about Mjolnir." I quipped at him and Tony nodded and laughed in the back seat as Steve openly blushed at my perverted joke.

"She has a point, what is the point of living if you don't laugh?" Tony said and I smiled at him and shifted in my seat again to find another comfortable position. We all got quiet again and I continued my game of jewels for another several minutes as Loki continued to look out the windows at people passing by us, bored as well.

"I may need a mental health walk." I said finally, and glanced back at Tony as I pulled the gun out of the shoulder holster and pulled the slide back to chamber the first round, the sound of metal working was deafening in the quiet car as the compact pistol became a coiled snake in my hand. I looked at everyone and I clicked the safety next to the trigger guard on, and adjusted my jacket over the pistol.

"I'm going to grab a radio from the back and go up the street, check things out and see what I can." I said and put the key fob into the cup holder as I opened the car door. Loki grabbed my arm and tried to stop me and I sighed at his overprotective ass.

"Someone should go with you." He said and I pulled away and pointed down the dock behind me.

"Twenty minutes at the most." I said. "I just want to see if there is any activity from another angle. If I have any problems, or things get too hairy, you guys will be able to hear me. I imagine that the cavalry, being you guys will come to my aid."

I went around the back of the car and opened the hatchback, pulling two radios out of the case and turning them on, handing one to Loki as I fitted the wireless receiver - transmitter into my ear. I turned mine on and clipped it to my belt in the small of my back, hiding it under my jacket carefully and did a quick test as I closed the car door.

"When I say Marco?" I said as I walked and heard a hollow click in my ear.

"We say Polo." Tony said and I grinned. "Be careful Princess we can hear you."

"Try not to yell into the radio, I don't feel like going deaf." I said and grinned to myself. "I will keep you guys posted as to what I can see, and boys?"

I turned across the street and looked back at the car and waved at Loki who was giving me the worried boyfriend look, and I gave him a smile to reassure him that I was fine as he looked down at the radio in his hands. I pretended to adjust my coat collar as I turned to look into a store window, and watched them over my shoulder.

"Yes?" I heard Tony say in my ear.

"No Fight Club in the car. You boys get in a fight and I will ground all of you." I said and I heard someone laugh in my ear.

"Just be careful." Loki said and I turned and started walking toward the ramp down to the docks. I let myself through the gate and descended the wood planked surface carefully, nearly slipping on a patch of wet but caught myself before I went down. Below me were a blending of fishing fleet boats and personal crafts that quietly bobbed in the water as the tide shifted for the day, some of the boats looked like someone was living in them and I kind of liked the idea of it. Two men in fishing gear worked on the deck of one large boat, ignoring me as I walked past and turned left toward the abandoned cannery to see what I could through the grimy windows of the building.

"It's been closed for two years honey." One of the fishermen said, taking an interest in what I was doing and I turned to respond to the bearded man.

"Two years huh?" I said, knowing they could hear me in the car. "Who owns it now?"

"My guess is that Trident Seafood still owns it," He replied and drank from a bottle of beer he had left on the railing as he worked.

"I am looking to buy the building, any idea where Trident Seafood operates out of?"

"Juneau or Nome, I guess or somewhere that way." He replied to my question. "It would be real nice if you did reopen it, we lost a lot of jobs when it closed. The whole town has been strugglin'"

Behind him, his friend lifted some heavy rope and began coiling it around his arm as he nodded in agreement, his eyes squinting down at me as he worked and I shielded my eyes from the sun and smiled up at both men politely.

"Keep talking, we can hear everything here." Tony said and I resisted the urge to nod, hoping I did not look crazy to the two men on the boat.

"That beer looks good." I said and the man smiled at me. "Can I get one?"

"No Princess." Tony said and I ignored him.

"Sure," He said and gestured toward the plank up to the boat. "Come on up, and tell me your plans for the place, be careful that you don't fall. I don't want to fish you out of the ocean."

I walked up onto the boat and leaned my butt against the railing, accepting the cold bottle labeled Alaska Summer Ale from the man and twisted the cap off of it, taking a long drink from it and sighing as I tasted the rich brew and sighed appreciatively at the drink.

"I'm Dean, that is Jeremy." The fisherman said as I casually crossed my ankles as I leaned back against the hull and took another pull from the bottle.

"Lilly." I said and put my hand out to shake the guys hand, but he held his up to show they were grimy from his work and I smiled and nodded my understanding.

"Tell me you are not on their boat." Steve said into my ear and I continued to ignore them as I smiled at the men.

"This is really good, probably the best Summer Ale I have had in a long time. Thank you." I said and tipped the beer at them.

"No problem missy." Jeremy said and started picking up debris around the deck.

"My cousin thought Trident was reopening it when they brought all the crates in a week ago, but that was a disappointment." Jeremy said as he hefted a toolbox and walked away to another part of the boat and returned quickly with two towels.

"What kind of crates?" I asked as Dean opened another beer for himself and took a drink, belching and smiling satisfied.

"Weird plastic looking ones." Dean replied. "Some red, some orange, nothing to store fish in for processing, I figured it was new equipment. Then it all went quiet and nothing since, the town really need the jobs too."

I took another drink from the bottle and finished off the beer and he walked forward to take the bottle from me, offering me another one but I put up my hand and smiled politely. He smiled sadly as he looked at the empty building and his friend regarded me as he looked up from his work.

"I better not, I have to drive." I said as Dean nodded and leaned back himself against the blue painted cabin and rubbed his face and hands with a towel and tossed it aside as he looked up at the sun.

"No one coming or going since the crates were brought in?" I asked and he shook his head at me and smiled.

"No, but it was only two crates. We figure they are just using the building for storage now." Dean said and sighed, shaking his head and looked down at his feet.

It would be nice if someone reopened the damn thing, then all the weird rumors would stop flying around town." Jeremy said and shook his head. "You would think the whole damn town was turning into an episode of the X Files."

"What rumors?" I asked and both men sighed as Dean looked at Jeremy angrily. The look screamed that he had let on a dark town secret, and I shifted. Small towns had secrets, and locals did not like talking about them when it came to people like me. Outsiders were kept at bay when it came to weird happenings, but general gossip was always shared with anyone who would listen.

"There are rumors going around town that claim some tourists and other migrant fishermen keep vanishing since the activity, it is damn weird. And I am only telling you this because you are so pretty, maybe you will be on your guard or whatever against them and still open the place again." He said and I jerked my head back, hearing someone groan into my ear.

"That is strange. But I don't scare easily, it takes really big spiders to freak me out." I joked and smiled as Jeremy shifted and shook his head to say it really was not at all strange, just more business as usual in this Alaska Fishing Town.

"Hard work, you take a lot of risks, loose a finger and get hurt. People walk off all the time. Damn Greenhorns think it is all glamour and glory thanks to Discovery Channel, but the reality of it sucks. Fucking kids ain't worth shit anymore either, no damn work ethic among them at all. Give me the old days when I started, those were real fishermen. Not just a snot nosed kid looking for easy money and a fast paycheck." Jeremy said and I chuckled at his statement.

"They shouldn't talk like that in front of a lady." Steve said into my ear and I rolled my eyes.

"A lot of people walking away from the job and leaving you high and dry?" I asked them and Jeremy laughed derisively at my statement.

"You sure as hell can say that Little Miss. Two guys vanished a day ago from this boat, no word or notice. Said they were going to the bar and never came back, just took off and probably skipped town for the lower forty-eight. Heading home to their mommies and their cushy video games." Jeremy said angrily and sighed, picking up tools and putting them away.

"Wow, that is pretty rude if you ask me. Is it normal for people to just walk off like that? I mean, it really seems polite to tell your boss you can't handle the work before you leave on them." I said and both men nodded.

"Usually they do." Dean replied as sighed as he took another pull from his beer. "But for some reason, the new trend if to just vanish. Hell, nine of them took off from various boats in the last three days alone." I felt my stomach do a back flip as the boat rocked suddenly and tried not to show it outwardly. I did the math and got eleven total missing persons, and part of me worried about it. If you think about the law of averages, maybe one out of three went home for real.

"How many boats come through here a day on the way to the fishing grounds?" I asked and Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck, thinking.

"Not as many as there used to, thanks to the cannery being closed, but there is still a few that come and go to resupply from the markets and hardware store." Dean said. "Not to mention the cruise ships. The ferry that lands once a week, and sport boats that come an go with the game fishers."

"Shit." I heard Tony say in my ear and I tried not to jump as I rested my hand on the railing and blinked at a seagull as it flew over and smiled at the men.

"What about the tourists you say that vanished." I asked them, trying to sound nonchalant about the question. "Could be bad for business if I buy the place and more go missing, I may not even be able to hire a workforce myself they way you guys keep making it out to be like a weird Alien Abduction thing."

"Three so far." Dean said and looked at me. "But don't let is worry you any. It is mostly rumor, bored fisherman's wives gossiping while us men are out working to feed em." He laughed and I joined in, pushing myself up and away from the railing, pretending to check my watch and using the cuff around my wrist as a prop.

"Hope that does not make you change your mind about buying the place, it would be nice to see it up and running again. Like I said, the town needs the money, and we have been suffering since it closed down." Jeremy said and I smiled.

"I am not really one to listen to the gossip of bored housewives, I am a business woman. Money is not made on rumor unless you run in the Stock Market, and even then that is a huge risk." I joked and the two men smiled and laughed back at me.

"You look more like a Commando or Government Agent girlie. All dressed like a Soldier of Fortune, or some model from a gun magazine. We thought you were going to try and sell us memberships to the NRA when you came down the dock." Jeremy said laughed at his own joke, I frowned and raised an eyebrow at him to blow him off and laughed. Adding to the joke by talking to my wrist and giggling.

"My cover is blown. They are onto us. Abort. Abort." I laughed and the two men laughed back at me.

"Well, I thought I would blend in in hiking gear." I said and they both laughed at me as I put up a finger in a mock shush. "I'm undercover, hunting Aliens. I got reports that they want to bring back Elvis, Bigfoot holds a huge grudge because he is such a fan of his music. And we are hoping to negotiate a truce by trading him for Taylor Swift."

Both men laughed at my joke and I smiled at them and giggled along too, I heard Tony laugh in my ear at my really clever blowing off of of their accusation and I smiled.

"I think you are a shrewd business woman Miss. Lilly. I pity your husband though, you got a good sense of humor. I hope he can keep up with you." Dean said as he slapped his knee and laughed again.

"Not married yet, but I will warn my future husband that I am a jokster." I replied and they both looked at me amused.

"Now that is a damn shame, you should at least have a special guy." Jeremy said and I smiled.

"I do have a very nice man in my life, but don't tell him he is special, his head gets big and I can't get him through the door." I said and both men laughed at my joke.

"We hate to see you leave or chase you off our boat, but we do have to wrap up for the day. My wife is an angry woman and will think I am cheating on her if I am late for Pot Roast Night." Dean said and I nodded.

"I will not keep you both then, for the sake of your lives. Sirs, I thank you both for the beer and the conversation. Hopefully, Trident is willing to sell so I can set up an working cannery of my own here." I said and I gave a laugh as I walked past them and to the dock, turning to give them both a polite wave as I walked.

"Thank you miss, for prettying up my boat." Jeremy shouted to me and I gave a laugh as I set foot back on the dock, turning to give another wave as I walked back up the incline toward the street. I was a bit more careful as I walked over the wet spot on the dock and sighed, no sense turning my ankle before we had to do anything more tonight.

Instead of returning to the car, I walked past the cannery and away from the car stopping as I pretended to look in the window of the Native Art Gallery and Gift shop. I put my hands in my coat pockets and sighed, looking at driftwood sculptures and carved moose antlers as a woman with two kids walked down the street behind me and herded them along toward a battered green Subaru SUV.

"You guys hear all that?" I asked and looked around me furtively as I pretended to admire a carved horse springing out from a piece of driftwood.

"We did." Tony said into my ear and I sighed. "Come on back, your new drinking buddies did not follow you. Steve is having a heart attack at you ignoring us and boarding their boat alone, you naughty girl. We need to give you a good scolding before taking all your toys away."

I laughed as I turned and walked across the street, making my way back down the sidewalk toward the car, my thoughts all over the place as I climbed back into the drivers seat and turned off the radio under my coat.

"This keeps getting worse and worse, and that was stupid of you." Steve said, not looking up from the crossword and blowing out a breath.

"I ran a search on Trident Seafood, they check out. Except that they don't own that building anymore. It was sold three months ago to a private owner and the Title is currently held by Dargumiin Holdings, I am running a search on that company, but not much exists on them." Tony said and I frowned, trying to force my brain to work, the name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it though.

"How can you find all this out from that?" Steve asked as he pointed at Tony's cell I looked at him as I turned in my seat.

"It is all public records dude, Anytime property is bought and sold, the state holds the records for public viewing. Part of the law, in case someone wants to sue the corporation or you file bankruptcy." I said and rolled my eyes.

"She is right Steve, all public records." Tony said and I smiled at him.

"Dargumiin sounds familiar." I said and groaned. "I can't place it right away, guess dying rewired my brain and slows the recall down. It is getting annoying too, I am hoping it gets better though, I am tired of struggling when I try to think."

"Still have that photographic memory though?" Tony asked and I nodded at him and smiled.

"Some things die very hard, it has actually gotten worse since then. Now I remember every second of every minute of my life. And it is super awkward at times, I have to constantly dumb myself down for Thor and other friends." I said and looked at Loki and grinned.

"Loki can still follow a conversation though. That helps." I finished as he smiled back at me.

"What exactly did you do before you got your powers?" Steve asked me and I looked at the cannery and sighed, across the street a woman drug a rack of dresses back inside her store and I heard Tony tap again on his phone, sending a message to Fury about the information I got from the fishermen.

"Does it really matter?" Loki asked and turned in his seat toward him and I patted his arm in thanks for defending me.

"Just curious, she seems like shd is pretty smart." Steve replied and I grinned. "Small yellow mouse in cartoons, starts with a P and has a C and a U."

"Pikachu." I said and leaned back against the seat, closing my eyes briefly. "I was a Drug Mule for the Russian Mafia in Seattle before I got my powers, I sometimes stole cars for them too. It was hard work, but paid well. Crappy benefits package and no retirement plan, so I decided to become a freak and got some crazy powers."

Loki sat back in his seat as the sky started to turn red as the sun sank over the horizon and Tony sent off his message, Steve looked at the back of my seat. His face a shocked mask from the view I had in the mirror and I sighed, regretting I had said anything at all. Tony leaned forward and opened a bag at his feet and looked through the contents as I turned my head toward the shop across the street. Ignoring everyone, and focusing on other things.

"Protein bar?" Tony asked and I shook my head, but took the wrapped snack anyways and looked at it.

"Fury is running the information, and he is impressed with your getting it. But one thing still bothers me about this." Tony said as I unwrapped the bar and took a bite of the hard, chewy food, cringing at it and spitting the mouthful into my empty coffee cup. Loki looked at me and my face probably told him how awful it really was because he didn't get on me about my manners as I put the rest of it into the cup and put the lid back on it.

"That was nasty, and what bothers you?" I asked Tony as he leaned forward and pointed out the windshield.

"If the building is abandoned, why is there a brand new Closed Circuit Television Camera system on it?" He asked and I squinted at the building in the fading light and saw them. They were mounted just under the eaves of the building, and a couple pointed at the door and around the side of the building, giving a view of the pier that wrapped around the structure.

"Why don't we wait until full dark and take a look in the building ourselves?" I asked, looking at the cameras and then behind me. Steve shifted suddenly, making my seat jerk forward as he bumped it with his knees.

"Is that really a good idea?" Steve asked, looking up from his puzzle and narrowing his eyes. "This is meant to be just a stakeout."

"I would protest this decision, but even I am a bit intrigued." Loki said and I sighed as I felt Steve's knees bang against my seat again, making pain shoot up my spine as I shifted. I openly winced and hissed as I scooted forward in the seat and stretched.

"Steve, please stop banging into my seat." I asked him politely and felt another nudge as he shifted his knees to the side.

"Sorry." He said as I groaned and dug through the center console for the bottle of aspirin I saw when digging for the pen earlier and unscrewed the cap, shaking two tablets into my hand and looked for water or another drink to swallow them with.

"Trust me." I said and took the bottle of water Tony passed over my shoulder. "I don't like any of this either and I do not want to go in there and face the living dead. But, it the virus is in play here, we have to do something."

I swallowed the aspirin with the water and tried to shift myself into a more comfortable position but failed miserably and had to just wait for the painkillers to kick in.

"Are you O.K?" Tony asked and I nodded, but knew it was a bad lie and looked at him.

"I am getting sore from all the sitting, I am more active normally." I admitted and sighed. "I'm not used to being on my butt for long periods of time anymore, and Steve keeps banging into my seat with his knees and making it worse."

"Sorry again." Steve said and I heard a click as he turned on a penlight to continued his puzzle. Loki began idly levitating the empty coffee cup and I giggled a bit at it and he gave me a sidelong glance. Tony opened the game on his cell again and continued playing it as I leaned forward and stared out the front window. I picked up my cell bored and opened the music app and scrolled through it while it connected to the Bluetooth receiver in the dash. I opened the Queen playlist and selected Bohemian Rhapsody, Tony looked up and smiled as the song began and laughed a bit.

"You have great taste in music Princess." He said and I turned up the volume as Tony began mouthing the words and I began singing along with Freddie Mercury. Loki grinned at the both of us and I began to gesture dramatically with the song, Tony began drumming his hands on the back of the seat and singing with me. Steve groaned at the both of us as he rolled his eyes, the song gave way to the guitar solo and Tony and I were reduced to dancing in our seats as we both ended up laughing loudly in out stir craziness.

"I prefer Big Band." Steve said and I turned around in my seat to face him.

"Rules of the road trip man," I said and put up a finger in warning. "Driver picks the music and everyone else shuts their cake holes."

Tony high fived me and I turned back around as Steve went back to his puzzle. I set the phone down on the center console and tapped the steering wheel to the drum beat to Another One Bites the Dust. A hand shot up front and grabbed my cell and Tony started scrolling through it, looking at my music and frowning as he tisked and shook his head.

"New rule Princess, people with musical taste pick the music. What is up with all the Lady Gaga?" Tony said and picked AC/DC. "I am impressed with all your David Bowie and...Holy...oh my god…...Marry me."

Tony held his hands up and I laughed, Loki turned in his seat as he held up my cell to show my vast selection of Miles Davis. Loki rolled his eyes and sat back around and looked at me.

"Music is the only thing we have in common Tony." I said and laughed. "I tend to get mad and blow shit up."

"Language." Steve said and I rolled my eyes and took my phone back from Tony as I selected Closer by Nine Inch Nails, to really irritate Steve.

"Steve, it is a new fucking era for fucks sake, get the fuck over that fucking shit boy." I said as Tony completely lost his mind and laughed in his seat, Loki raised an eyebrow and me and grinned. I scrolled through the phone again and smiled to myself as I giggled and put Queen back on and settled back into the seat.

"Let's not break Steve now. His poor virgin ears may not be able to handle all the bad words we use." Tony said and Loki went back to levitating his empty cup and grinned. We sat quietly and looked out our windows for what seemed forever and Steve broke the silence by clearing his throat as the streetlights winked on around us, bathing the street in a sodium yellow glow.

"Anyone know who won the first Tour De France?" He asked and Tony glanced up from his phone and shook his head no. I grinned and giggled to myself as I sat back in my seat and looked at my hands and smiled, knowing I was about to do something horrible to poor Steve.

"The Seventh Panzer Division." I said and a dead silence fell through the car as I grinned like a Cheshire Cat. In the light reflected from Steve's penlight, I saw Tony's mouth fall open and Loki lost his concentration on the levitating cup and it fell to the floorboard with a hollow tap.

Steve took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he turned off the penlight and sat back in his seat. I let a wider grin cross my face and suddenly Steve threw the newspaper into the cargo area quietly, opened his door and got out, slamming the door so hard the entire car rocked on the shocks.

"Oh...My...GOD!" Tony said as Loki started chuckling to himself. I looked in the mirror and saw Steve leaning against the back of the Esclade and I laughed openly, looking forward through the windshield as my whole body shook with the amusement.

"Well that was dark." Loki said and picked up the cup and Tony rubbed his face and groaned.

"Good job Princess, you broke him. Didn't I tell you not to break Steve?" Tony said and sighed into his hands. "On that note, lets go check out Doctor Dementors Evil Science Lab."

Tony got out of the car and walked around back, opening the hatchback and I laughed a bit to myself.

"Was that joke really too far?' I asked Loki as Tony started unloading the cases.

"No." Loki said and grinned at me. "It was actually really clever."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

Loki looked out of place carrying the Assault Rifle, but it was a completely necessary tool at this point so he endured its weight with some grace and minimal complaints. My own was hanging from a strap along my back as I slipped two grenades into my pants pockets next to my knees and tested their weight along my joints, making sure I could still move quickly if I needed to. Tony unfolded the building plans over one of the gun cases and Steve fitted his shield onto his back as he flexed and stretched. I tossed my coat into the hatchback as the four of us stood in a tight circle behind the Cadillac and planned our strategy, each of us lost in our own concerns and fears.

"Four floors." Tony said as we looked down at the building plans. "Cap will take the fourth floor, which is mostly offices and blind spots. I will take the third, less offices but still a high chance of a computer terminal. Loki can take the ground floor, should anyone try to stop us, you can use your gifts to persuade them that we are legit and maybe get them to surrender peacefully. Also your floor is production, so be careful around any machinery you pass we don't need anyone getting hurt. Lilly will take the basement, cold storage and shipping. It is nice and open so no one can get the drop on you Princess."

I nodded as Tony passed out what looked like memory sticks to each of us and slipped the receiver for the radio into my ear.

"See a computer, just plug these in to any USB port. Friday will do the rest, you should have no problems at all. Anything to add Captain?" Tony said and turned to Steve as I put the device into my pants pocket and tried not to shake as we stepped back from the hatchback. I was not looking forward to being alone down in the basement of the building, but managed to convince myself that it had to be done. I filled my back pocket with green chemical lights as Loki watched me closely.

"Just this, see an infected, shoot it on sight." Steve said and I nodded as Tony set his briefcase onto the ground in front of him and entered a code into it to activate a mechanism inside it. Within seconds, his famous red and gold armor was on him and he was ready for action. I raised my eyebrows impressed by the efficiency of the entire scene. Loki slid his rifle up and around the front of him and I pulled mine around so it hung at my hip, making it accessible and easier to grab should I need it quickly.

"Scared?" Loki asked me and I looked at him and tilted my head to the side as I tried to look like it was just a walk in the park. Internally, I was screaming and wanting to lock myself in the nice, safe car and wait for everyone to come back. Lying was not an option anyways, he could tell within seconds that I was not being honest.

"Yeah, but I can handle it." I replied and Steve put a hand on my shoulder.

"If it gets too crazy, call us and we will find you." Steve said and smiled at me, but the gesture did nothing for me so I hefted the rifle and patted it like a good dog.

"Walk in, fuck shit up, walk out. How hard can it be?" I said and grinned at Steve.

"How have you survived this far?" Steve asked me and I grinned wider, Loki gave me a look knowing that a joke was coming and I did not disappoint.

"Blind, dumb luck and a deal with the devil." I said and Tony laughed at my joke, and closed his visor as he stepped forward and looked at me.

"Ready to bring the gnarly powers Princess?" Tony asked and I nodded as Loki laughed in the background.

"As ready as I can be without sinking the island, and to be completely honest, Tony is really the one I want to be right now, his suit is bite proof." I said and laughed a bit. "Probably only one or two infected at the most, so I am probably carrying too much firepower for this party."

"Let us hope you are right, I am not relishing the thought of engaging this enemy." Loki said as we all turned toward the cannery and started walking forward.

We crossed the street and stepped up onto the sidewalk, approaching the door silently. I built up energy in my chest and sent out a controlled wave of Electromagnetic Energy toward the building to disable the cameras and any alarms that may be in use in the building and Tony stopped short, Tony checked the door for explosives and I put my bare hand over the lock and waited for his signal. After what seemed like forever, he gave me a thumbs up and the men backed away as I used a pulse of energy to shatter the locking mechanism and push the double doors inward, immediately I dropped to one knee bringing the rifle up to my shoulder. I flipped the safety off as I pointed the barrel into the doors and clicked it over to auto, no sense wasting the ammo if it took only one bullet to drop them.

I held my breath and stared into the darkness down the barrel of the gun, but the only thing that assaulted us was the ghostly scent of fish and abandoned building, dust floated in the air and the light form the streetlights gave it a haunting quality. Carefully, Tony walked forward into the dark building as I cracked a chem light and rolled it along the floor. We watched it and it stopped against a metal leg that supported a rusting conveyor belt, bathing it and the machine behind it in a green glow. Dust settled around it and my senses went into over drive, trying to force me to sneeze as I stared silently ahead and stood up with the rifle tracking around the room.

Silently, we all entered the building and I cracked another chem light as we broke off in out separate directions, I held it out in front of me and to the side to keep from losing my night vision as I tracked around the room with the barrel of my rifle. Loki followed me to the metal stairwell and watched me drop the light down the open space. It bounced and clanged off the steps as it fell, painting the walls with an eerie green glow that still left deep shadows in areas and came to a rest. No one and nothing reacted to the green light and the sound as it rolled to a rest on a landing, bathing the steps in green.

I began to descend, but Loki stopped me and pulled me back. I looked at him as fear clawed at my throat and fought with the new surge of adrenaline in my brain, he reached around my wrists and tapped the buttons on my wrists and the bite guards Tony gave me snapped out to protect my arms.

"Be careful." He said and pulled me close to him. "I will be listening, call for help if you need it and do not be fool hearted."

I smiled at Loki and aimed the rifle down the stairs and began to carefully descend the stairs and looked back up at him and studied his face, soft as he watched me, yet harsh in the green light.

"See you soon." I said and continued down the stairs into the darkness, reaching the bottom and I gasped suddenly as I cracked another chem light. Instead of the wide open floor plan I expected, I found a hallway built on either side of me and looked at the doors and took in a deep breath as I looked at my surroundings.

"The floor plan down here is totally different from your building plans, I'm in a hallway." I said and I heard a hollow click in my ear, but nothing else.

"Tony? Steve?" I asked and and still got no response, I kicked the green light down the hall and it rolled nearly to the end as I checked the radio to see if I had just forgotten to turn it on. I found it on and I tapped the receiver in my ear and sighed at the crappy piece of equipment and looked down the hallway and debated going back up the stairs. I groaned internally and made a quick decision I hoped I would not regret. I quietly took a step down the hallway, passing large picture windows on my right that overlooked the ocean outside and tried a door on my left, finding it jammed on something inside. I gave another slow tug, and released the handle and moved on cautiously.

"Can anyone hear me? Steve? Loki?" I asked in a low voice and an underlying smell of something sickly sweet filled my nose, melding with the scent of dust and fish and making me feel nauseous as I moved closer to the end of the hall. I tried another door as I passed it and it moved a bit, it wiggled but something heavy was up against it on the other side holding it shut, and it wouldn't move more than an inch when I pushed on it.

"Can anyone hear me?" Tony said into my ear and I almost jumped out of my skin at the sudden sound of his voice. I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep myself from yelping out in fear as I controlled my breathing slowly in the dark hall, licking my lips as I put my back to the windows. I cursed at Tony in my mind and rolled my eyes at myself for being so jumpy. I tried another door and found it jammed as well.

"I can. I can hear you." I replied and pulled my last chem light out of my pocket and cracked it. "You owe me a clean pair of underwear."

"Nothing on my floor Stark." I heard Loki say into my ear as I squinted down the murky hall and heard a nose like a door rattling further down it. I stopped and looked carefully as my heart began hammering in my chest and I listened as the sound came back echoed down the hall toward me again.

"My floor is pretty bare here, not even a mouse." Steve replied into the radio and I cautiously took a step toward the sound and tossed the chem light underhand, skidding it along the floor and it stopped outside a door that swung back and forth on its hinges lazily.

I took slow, quiet steps toward the door and was giving thanks for the rubber soled boots I was wearing when I curled my index finger gently around the trigger of the rifle and looked down the barrel as I stepped over a discarded piece of hose. My heart hammered in my chest and I turned the chatter in my ear into background noise and I stepped over the chem light and stood in front of the door. I stretched my hand out and gave the door a testing shove to see if it was blocked by anything. It swung freely for a moment inward and then came back toward me and stopped half closed.

Taking along breath I steadied myself and charged forward, slamming the door open with a quick shove of my shoulder and pointing the barrel around the room. Covering my corners and cataloging every detail I could see as a lone rat scurried between my feet and down the hall. I stomped at the creature as it turned and hissed at me, its beady eyes shining in the darkness as I turned and it scurried on. My heart kicked into over drive for a half second and I took a long breath as I leaned back against the door and closed my eyes for a half second and put my head against the wood.

"Yeah, that is a big negative down here too." I said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slow as the tension from a few moments ago drained from me and I began checking the room for a computer. I left the door and it swung back to a nearly closed position quietly as I walked into the neighboring closet and storage room when my foot squished in something. I stepped back and used a bit of power to create a light in my hand and crouched down to see a smear of oil or some other brown fluid under my feet in thick patches. I slowly walked forward and peered into the storage room and saw nothing in the bluish light I created.

"This place gives me the creeps." I said and turned, yelping in surprise when I saw a dark skinned man standing right behind me. Swaying as if drunk with his eyes closed, I looked at him and tightened my grip on the rifle and tried not to say anything. He stood still, sniffing the air and I took a shaky step back toward the storage room and wondered why he was not responding or attacking me when my eyes trailed down to the gaping hole where his arm hung uselessly at his side. Tendons still worked and twitched as his eyes opened slowly to show milky, dead orbs and I nearly screamed looking into the eyes of death. All my childhood nightmares came back to me in an instant and I whimpered in fear as the man stared at me and I took another step back slowly.

"Was that Lilly?" Tony said into my ear and the zombie took a step toward me. It left me no room to pull my rifle up to shoot the creature in the head, so I put it across my body defensively and braced my feet against any possible attack.

"Little Mouse?" Loki said into my ear as the dead man's lips parted and I saw broken teeth working and biting at the air as he hissed at me. I took another step back, and I watched those teeth closely, hypnotized in my fear and trying to stay away from the monster in front of me. Suddenly the creature leaped forward, coming toward me in a flash. The sudden movement snapped me out of my fear induced paralysis as I shoved the rifle up and let him bite down on the barrel. His teeth snapped down on the hard metal, and some of them broke further as his mouth clamped down on it and I slipped backwards, pushed by his forward momentum into the storage room a bit on the spill of fluid on the floor.

"Found a computer. All data up loading to Friday." Tony said as a cold hand gripped my shoulder and the mouth continued to try and bite me around the barrel of the rifle, causing a tooth to come loose from the mouth and fall to the floor as I watched in horror and started struggling to get the pistol out of my shoulder rig. His fingers dug into my shoulder painfully and I gave up on my attempts for the pistol and grunted as his fingers started to work their way toward my neck and I shoved backwards, struggling to get my feet to plant without letting them slip out from under me.

"Lilly respond." Steve said as cold fingers brushed my throat and I put a foot up into the zombie's chest and pushed back as hard as I could, knocking him backwards as I freed my rifle from his teeth and turned it on the dead man. I wasted no time in pulling the trigger and the shot caught him in the shoulder. He jerked back and the shot spun him around as it threw him back like a rag doll and he stopped against the office desk in the center of the room, causing it to screech back on protesting metal legs. I screamed as he recovered and launched himself with unnatural speed toward me and I pulled the trigger again as I backed out the door and into the hall and he crashed into the wall in the office where I was standing. I calmed myself with a breath, and did my best to control my shaking before I tried shooting again.

"Shots!" Who is shooting?" Tony yelled into my ear as the other one rang and felt full, I would deal with being deaf later in one ear if I survived this.

"Lilliana!" Loki shouted as I stepped back and the chem light in the hall rolled under my foot. The man shot out the door, throwing me further off balance and I went backwards as I threw an arm up. The zombie clamping down on my arm guard as I fell and struggled to keep his spit from hitting my face and getting into my eyes or mouth infecting me. I moved and fought to shift his weight and him to my side as more teeth broke in his mouth around the metal guard and I tried to scoot out from under him as he released my arm briefly for a better bite, his hands clamped down on my shoulders again and started pulling me toward him and I screamed as his teeth came closer to my face.

Using the arm guard, I slammed it into his face and it gave me the split second I needed to jump and reappear on my feet down the hall from him. I brought the rifle up to my shoulder and pulled the trigger, catching him between the eyes and putting his lights out permanently. His body collapsed into a pile of disjointed bones and limbs as I scrambled for the end of the hall with my rifle trained on the body as Loki came running down the hall toward me.

"Stay back!" I shouted at him as Steve pounded down the stairs. "I dropped him, he was infected."

Loki searched my face carefully and saw the oil like clots of blood on my clothes and looked panicked as Steve skidded to a halt behind him and looked at the dead man.

"Were you bitten?" Loki said in obvious panic and I shook my head to say no. Steve looked from the dead man back toward me as I took a step back and tried not to cry in fear. Loki took several steps toward me and I shrank back, needing space as the backs of my legs hit the nearly invisible wire and tripped a mechanism over my head, causing me to look up in fear as a counterweight hit the ceiling above my head with a loud bang.

Something released above me and a rigged pulley system began working, Tony appeared at the bottom of the stairs and I turned around to see the double doors at the end of the hall open with a slam and I backed away from the darkness beyond them. Instinct drove me back to the group, and I tried not to shake as I passed the body in the hall. Loki brought his rifle up and aimed at the threat in the darkness as we heard a wheezing sound in the murky black and I strained to see any movement in the room beyond. I checked my rifle and shook, I was still trembling from the encounter I just had and I was not looking forward at all to the second.

My heart pounded in my ears as the wheezing turned into a low moan that traveled out from the dark room. I backed up toward the group, putting some more distance between myself and the doors trying not to shake as I peered into the black depths. Slowly a flash of something light came into view, but vanished again and I tried not to cry out as we saw it again. I pulled in a deep breath and counted my own heart beats as we stood still, weapons at ready and waited.

Time slowed down, and seconds became eons as I watched for anything, and then very frighteningly sped up into a blink.

In a flash of clothing and blood coated skin, the first infected shot out into the hall inhumanly fast. Teeth snapping, and looking for warm flesh to sink into as he propelled forward with an animal like scream. I brought my rifle around and hit him center mass, but he kept coming forward and I screamed as I pulled the trigger again as fast as I could and missed him completely. Tony hit him with a pulse and four more shot out of the darkness as the first one shot backwards through the open door.

"Aim for the head!" I screamed as Loki pulled the trigger on his rifle and blew the back of a woman's head out, spraying the one behind her with the contents of her skull and effectively dropping her. Steve aimed and picked targets carefully, dropping two with good marksmanship. Five more poured out into the hall and the Gates of Hell opened in the abandoned cannery, leaving us the only wall of life between a horde of the dead and the town above us.

Blood and gore exploded around us and the four of us began fighting to save out own lives, I kicked one in the knee and shoved the barrel of the rifle into the mouth of another. Pulling the trigger as Loki shot the one with the shattered knee as it recovered and tried to stand at my feet. I used some power to give us more light and sent out balls of energy to illuminate the hall and room beyond, seeing a dozen more coming and felt abject horror at the sight as Steve dropped another one. I swung about and aimed carefully as a woman walked toward me with her arms out and I reduced her face to pulp as I pulled the trigger and shot her point blank. Steve threw his rifle to his side and pulled the pistol off of Loki's hip and dropped another woman with her throat torn out when something pulled my feet out from under me, causing me to pull the trigger on my rifle and shoot into the ceiling.

"Lilliana!" Loki screamed at me in panic as the infected clamped his teeth down on the steel toe of my boot. I used a pulse of energy to force it off me as I shot a man in the face, he fell into another infected who shambled forward with his intestines spilling out and trailing behind him.

"Oh god." I said and shook at the horrifying sight and got back to my feet and looked around me and saw only death, walking and desperate for anything warm and alive to tear to pieces. I froze and something primal in my brain clicked over and I screamed silently, a zombie child walked toward me with her arms up as if she were a scared little girl looking for comfort. I looked down at the girl and she stared at me, everything in my psyche came unraveled and I backed into the wall behind me at the sight. The child walked forward in her little ruffled, pink nightgown and reached out to me as I felt a lump build in my throat and choke off my air. She hissed and screamed as she launched forward toward me, and I squeezed the trigger on the rifle and blew a hole through her forehead as her tiny body flew back and I screamed my throat raw.

The look of horror was on everyone's face as they saw what I had seen, and a toddler boy came out of the crowd of them and had to be put back down. I swallowed my emotions, and focused on what had to be done as Loki looked at the dead child and swallowed hard as he pulled the trigger and the tiny body flew back and away from him.

"Oh God," Tony said into my ear and his voice sounded thick, "They infected kids."

I looked down in shame and horror at the child that I had shot, I dropped the rifle to the tile below me and the fire came forward before the rifle stopped clattering. I turned and could barely hold control over myself as I stepped into the crowd of the dead and they surged away from me, something instinctual in their brains seeing danger that was me as I put my arms out and turned back to the group of three men and looked at them.

"You should be running." I said as the hallway ignited, and I stepped forward as the fire flowed around my body and lit me up like a torch. It consumed the dead and I moved forward as I heard three voices call out for me from somewhere far away and I let the fire come and take all the infected as I put one foot in front of the other. Walking into the dark room where a half dozen more milled about and turned toward me as their heads hung to the side. Separated from their group, they looked at me and moaned as they moved forward blindly and caught fire at my command. I pulled the fire back into myself, regaining control over it before I became to drained to continue and escape the building before it collapsed in the blaze. I pulled the XD-9 and squeezed the trigger, picking targets carefully as I regained control of myself further and noticed that someone was screaming in the background, and only after the pistol clicked empty, I realized it was me.

Bodies fell around me as I slapped the new magazine into place and I picked off the dead one at a time. Heads blew and gore filled the air around me as the building burned, reducing the bodies to scorched husks as they withered and fell. I jumped and appeared in the hall and took one of the grenades out of my pocket, yanked the pin as the room behind me exploded and a door flew past me down the hall.

I jumped again and dropped the empty pistol, looking down at the hot steel of my abandoned rifle as the fire continued to consume the bodies around me. I used a pulse to knock a shambling dead man back into a burning wall and watched him burn his mouth opening and closing in silent agony as I looked on. Loki looked at me as I slipped my hand into my pocket and wrapped my hand around the last grenade that I carried as Steve grabbed him and pulled him up the stairs by the arm, following Tony as the three men made their escape from the danger and carnage around them.

I held the strangely heavy, yet small explosive in my hand as I looked at the fire in the hall and picked my target and smiled as I slowly put my finger through the ring and the fire danced around me.

"I will meet you all up top." I said as three voices screamed in my ear for me to run.

I pulled the pin when I heard Tony say they were clear, and looked through the doors at the last moving dead as he snapped at the air in the room with his teeth. I threw the grenade, and gave it a push with my power. It landed on the four barrels of diesel fuel at the far side of the room, and I jumped as the hottest wind I had ever experienced destroyed the building around me.

I reappeared on the street next to the car and the three men jumped as I stood there calmly as the building continued burning, destroying the infection with it. I took long, measured breaths and walked toward the nearest trash can outside the True Value and vomited into it, screaming as I did. The entirety of my stomach emptying as I shook and took in a deep breaths while letting sweat trickle down my back. Steve walked up, and I put my hand out to warn him back as I slid the shoulder rig off me and pulled the button up shirt over my head and wiped my mouth on it and waited quietly for a few seconds for the shaking to end.

"This son of a bitch just declared war." I spat out and turned on Tony, shoving him back against the car with my power, his armor denting the fender as emergency services started arriving.

"Tell me you got everything." I screamed at him as I threw the shirt on the sidewalk and walked forward.

"They infected children, they made me shoot and burn children. You better have everything!" I said and shook as I looked in his eyes, seeing the same horror that was in mine and backed away. I dropped to my knees and shook again, the jet circled overhead and police and fire arrived on scene to take over. Loki crouched down next to me and I looked into his face and I shook my head in disbelief of the whole night as he put his hand behind my head and pulled me close to him. I cried out, the last of my tough facade failing me as a second jet circled over us and SHIELD took over the scene from the local police.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fury paced back and forth, barking orders into a cell phone as I sat in the back doors of the ambulance wrapped in a blanket and shaking. All our clothes, gear, and weapons were being sealed into steel barrels for incineration later because of their exposure to the infection, and my skin still itched and burned from the harsh chemical shower we all had to take as part of or decontamination thanks to our exposure to the virus.

I was wearing a black t shirt and gray sweatpants, someone managed to find me a pair of canvas slip on shoes in my size but everything else was five sizes too big. I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, I heard Loki complain loudly about the smell of the shower as techs scrubbed him on the other side of a circle of screens. Tony stood nearby as more techs scrubbed his armor and he endured it with patience, he was lucky, he did not have to be scrubbed down with the hard bristled brushes that we were. It was like the spa treatment from hell, I can't believe that rich women actually pay to have ten layers of skin removed from their bodies and call it beauty. Steve sat on the curb in front of the Drug Store across the street in similar clothes to mine but his actually fit him, his arm was wrapped at the elbow where blood was taken and I watched as the doctor with brown, curly hair approached me with his med kit. He sat down next to me and watched my feet swing as they hung off the back of the ambulance. Loki emerged from the shower and walked into the street, glaring back at two blushing nurses, rubbing his hair with a towel and threw it aside to pull a black shirt over his head.

"I'm doctor Banner." He said and extended his hand to me, I took it and his grip was firm but relaxed. I looked over his shoulder and saw Loki glaring at him as he pulled the blanket off my shoulder and began taking my blood pressure. I jumped a bit at the tightening on my arm and he moved the shirt aside to look at the bruises on my shoulder that had already faded into yellow. Loki glared and paced, debating walking up, and stopping and stepping back as he stood in the street.

"What is the deal with you and Loki? You steal his lunch money or something?" I asked as Banner finished and pulled the cuff off my arm and looked back at him.

"I kind of beat him up." He replied and I raised an eyebrow and laughed a bit looking at his size and body type and shrugged as he listened to my heart and lungs.

"He probably deserved it." I joked back at him as he looked in my ears and gave no indication he found anything wrong with me as he flashed a light into my eyes and stopped, his head bobbing back and I knew the shimmer had come on again. I blinked and he watched it vanish and smiled.

"You know, violet eyes are a genetic mutation on the blue color spectrum." He said and made a few notes on a form on his clipboard.

"Women are less likely to present with the trait, making them extremely rare, but very beautiful. You also burst an eardrum and it is already healing, I am not going to worry about that and assume it is part of your abilities." He finished and I laughed a bit as he lifted my hair and felt down my spine under the blanket and I saw Loki become more irritated at the physical contact Banner was giving me.

"Normally people are scared by my eyes, and you may want to be careful how much you flirt. You may end up in another fight." I grumped at him and he began preparing a cheek swab as Loki stalked up to us.

"Just making conversation, you seem a bit shaky." Banner said and I opened my mouth as he took a cheek swab from me and added it to his bag of samples as I sat patiently. "I also need a full blood panel, just in case you have anything you want to divulge."

I laughed sardonically and shook my head as he tied a tourniquet around my upper arm and he handed me six vials, I looked at them and groaned. He was cleaning my arm with an alcohol pad and he looked at me with concern, I held up the tubes and waved them.

"Going to leave me any blood to live on? Seriously, usually I get a cookie after donating this much." I joked as Loki put a hand on Banner's shoulder, making him jump and turn. Loki stepped back and sized up the man in front of him as I looked at the both of them.

"What are you doing?" Loki demanded and I sighed up at the two of them, Loki looked at me and was obviously concerned as he noticed the way the vein in my arm poking out.

"Relax." I said and looked at him. "He will be after you next. SHIELD needs to make sure that none of us carries the virus, be ready to donate a bit of blood to the cause."

I hissed sharply as Banner put the needle into the bend of my arm and glared at the doctor as he shrugged, Loki watched as all six vials filled with my blood and the shakes started up again from the adrenaline dump. Banner removed the needle from my arm and watched as the tiny hole immediately closed and vanished, he raised his eyebrows impressed and dug into his med kit and opened a pill bottle as I wrapped the blanket up around myself again. He shook a tablet into my hand and looked at me as he made more notes and smiled at me.

"Dissolve it under your tongue." He said and sat down next to me to work on his notes, both men continued to study me, concerned about my shaking.

"What is it?" I asked Banner and he smiled at me.

"Kolonopan, it will take the edge off and help you to relax a bit. Just don't try to operate any heavy machinery for the next several hours." I slipped the pill into my mouth and let it begin to melt under my tongue, frowning at the taste.

"Looks like I can't help Steve dig that ditch with a backhoe after all." I joked and Banner gave a quick chuckle and turned back to me.

"How are you mentally?" He asked me and I gave him an exasperated look as he made more notes and put the samples into a bag with my name on it. I looked up at Loki who rolled his eyes and I ignored the non verbal sass he was flipping as Banner started a new sample bag. I let out a sigh and rubbed my nose with the blanket as I pulled my feet up onto the bumper and shivered.

"You spelled Magic Dance wrong." I joked and let out a breath as Banner started in on Loki, he looked at me and Loki rolled his eyes again as he began to endure human medical practices as he sat in the doorway with me.

"Your sense of humor is intact." Banner said and I buried my face in the blanket to hide, not wanting to answer any more questions.

"I shot a kid in the face tonight, she may have been dead already, but I will never be O.K. Like never sleeping again. I will answer for it someday, but I will face it later. Right now, I just want to be left alone, and I need some time and space to process everything" I said and both men looked at me as Banner tied off the tourniquet on Loki and took blood from him, pausing while the final vial filled to take notes.

"Your response is natural, I was only asking because according to Steve, you had first contact with the infected, and you were alone." He said and I started shaking worse as I slid down into the blanket and flashes of dead children started invading my mind and each of them were coming at me with bared teeth, I shook and hugged myself as I pulled the blanket around myself and my breathing started becoming ragged as my heart started burning in my chest.

The hyperventilating started soon after and I groaned.

"Shit." Banner said and pulled the needle from Loki's arm quickly. "We need help here, she is having a panic attack."

Voices far off shouted and I felt a blood pressure cuff wrap around my arm and hands guided me back to the floor of the ambulance. I groaned in pain as fire spread through my chest and I tried to breathe normally, Loki climbed into the cramped space behind me and began smoothing my still damp hair back as an oxygen mask was put over my nose and mouth.

"Slow, deep breaths Lilliana, it will pass." Banner said and Loki stayed close to me and looked at me with open concern.

"If she looses control of herself, run." Loki warned the Doctor. "It could end badly for you."

I moaned as the pain in my chest built up and tears prickled at my eyes, Banner reached up and grabbed a stuffed bear out of a bin behind him and shoved it into my hands. I squeezed my fingers into the soft toy and cried out at my heart rate kicked into high gear and a pair of hands rubbed my shoulders.

"Describe how this feels to me and take a long breath between each word." He said and Loki raised an eyebrow at him in skepticism.

"Hurts." I said and Banner shook his head at me.

"No, I mean the toy. Tell me how it feels." He said calmly and I closed my eyes as my back tried to arch.

"Soft." I gasped out and Banner nodded at me to encourage me to say more.

"Furry." I said and breathed again, Loki noticed the change and encouraged me on when Banner pointed to the light above us.

"Bright." I breathed out and Banner nodded again and he waved a piece of paper in my face and I found myself slowly relaxing.

"White." I said and put my hand up to remove the oxygen mask, but Loki stopped me as my heart slowly stopped pounding and I relaxed more as I focused on my breathing. Banner lifted the corner of the blanket and I looked at it.

"Blue." I said and my brain relaxed some more, focusing on what was going to be shoved at me next. Banner put a bottle of water against my arm and I flinched at the sensation and yelped.

"Cold." I said and both men smiled down at me as my breathing regulated bit by bit, and Banner pointed at Loki and I smiled in the mask.

"Asshole, but manageable." I grinned and Loki frowned down at me as Banner laughed a bit and clapped a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"I think she will live." He said as Loki helped me sit up and looked back at me. "If you didn't have that kind of reaction I would really worry about you. I also did not want to have to sedate you, Fury wants a full report from the four of you when you get back to New York. I am going to warn you now, he is not happy at all."

"Fuck him." I said and Banner looked at the trickle of blood on Loki's arm and winced and looked down.

"Sorry about that, but she needed immediate attention." He said to Loki as they put the blanket around my shoulders and I looked up to see Steve looking at the three of us and held out my phone.

"I thought this would help some." He said and I reached out for it as Loki adjusted the blanket over my shoulders, Banner cleaned the blood off Loki's arm and tied off the bleeding.

"Forgiven Banner. Her needs superseded my own." Loki said and I shrugged and swung my feet casually in the doorway.

"Are you going to be well for the time being?" Loki asked me and I looked at him and nodded, giving the bear a hug. I let out a long breath and Banner looked amused as he looked down in the display between the two of us.

"I will try to be." I said and Loki looked at me seriously, staring into my face to check for a lie.

"I will look into finding you a cup of tea or bottled water or something like that." Banner said and I felt a bit loopy from the combination of the pill and oxygen. "I have to go deal with a really obnoxious patient now, give your new friend a name."

I smiled up a Banner and giggled as he removed the oxygen mask and hugged the bear tighter and shivered again, he put the mask in a bin and nodded.

"Skeletor Sparticus." I slurred out and Steve shook his head while laughing to himself amused, Loki looked at me as if I had just lost my mind completely.

"The pill I gave her must be working then." Bruce said as he put his bags of samples into his med kit and I turned in my spot to lean against the wall and swung my leg as I felt a bit dizzy.

"I will so have what she is having, make it a double though." Tony said and sighed as I felt a bit loopier as I swung my foot. "If you excuse me, it is my turn to play Bruce's Lab rat."

Tony climbed into the ambulance and sat on the gurney behind me as we all looked up at him and he looked down at me and smiled.

"You still look like a tough little elf, even with the teddy bear." Tony said and I laughed.

"That is an insult in Asgard. Elves are not very attractive." I said and Tony shrugged at it, he opened his mouth for Banner and gagged a bit when the cheek swab was taken.

"Show them Lord of the Rings." Tony replied and I nodded. I looked down at the bear in my arms, and sighed again as I started doing some mental math, and something in my stoned brain did not make sense.

"How did you beat Loki up Banner? You strike me as the pacifist of the century. And no offense, your body type looks healthy, but you are pretty far from a gym rat." I asked and looked up at Banner and I heard Steve laugh to my side. I looked at Loki and he swallowed hard, looking annoyed that I had been told that information.

"Call me Bruce, and it is a really long story." He replied and I smiled at him as he looked at me, Tony chuckled and looked up at the ceiling and I frowned at them.

"I will load a tranquilizer gun if you want to demonstrate for the Princess Bruce." Tony joked and looked at me. "I got it all on security cameras if you want to see it later."

"No, some mysterys should keep you wondering." I said and looked at Loki, he rolled his eyes and I still tried to put two and two together, giving up with a shake of my head.

I shrugged and looked around me at everyone and then back down at the bear in my arms, feeling tired and dizzy. I leaned my head back and looked at Tony, and watched Bruce work on him. I may have been high from Bruce's magic pill of not caring, but there was no way I was going to sleep at this point, not with the horror show playing on repeat in my brain right now.

I will take a case of Red Bull and a Doctor Who marathon for a thousand Alex.

"Did we at least get any pertinent information from the computer we found? I would hate to think I am not sleeping for the next three years for nothing." I asked and Loki put his hand I my knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze through the blanket. "I am probably going to have nightmares for the rest of my unnatural life, tell me it is all going to be for something."

"Friday is still going through the data right now, but it looks promising. We may have the locations of the other two properties...DANMIT Bruce! That hurt!" Tony hissed and he glared at Bruce who continued to work, drawing blood from his arm, despite the protests of Tony.

"Big Baby." I teased and Tony looked at me as I gave him a smile back. "Want to hold Skeletor Sparticus to feel better?"

"Skeletor Sparticus? I really want what you gave her now." Tony said to Bruce and Loki rolled his eyes as he smiled amused.

"I am afraid that she is always like this, chemical enhancement just exacerbated the problem Stark." Loki said and Tony gave an audible hiss as Bruce worked, getting blood samples from the bitchy billionaire. Loki and Steve both burst into laughter and I continued to smile like the smart ass I was nodding my agreement to Loki's statement. Tony groaned at me and hissed again when Bruce pulled the needle from his arm and we laughed a bit again as I hid a yawn behind the blanket.

"If the party over here in the mental ward is over, I am ready to take you four loons back to New York." Natasha said and we all turned to look at her, she swallowed hard looking at me and gave me smile. I wanted to know if I looked as haggard as I thought I did suddenly, but decided against asking her. Her face alone told me everything and the answer was undoubtedly, yes.

"Just about done with his one." Bruce said as he bagged everything and looked at the four of us seriously. "I saw the video, tell me this nightmare will not get out."

"I believe we stopped it here." Loki said and sighed. "But the possibility of two more locations existing creates odds that may be problematic."

"I will burn them both to stop this from getting out." I said and Loki squeezed my knee again and I sighed and looked at everyone. "But finding those locations with out an idea of where they are, is like finding a needle in a stack of needles. I may be high as fuck right now, but I am not entirely stupid. Steve, if you get on me about my swearing, I swear that I will set you on fire."

Everyone laughed and I let out a breath as I glanced at a very annoyed Steve, we all got quiet as a dive team walked past us with all their gear to do their grim task of recovering the remains from the collapsed building. I shivered remembering the milky, dead eyes of the infected man and his cold fingers as they clawed at the collar of my shirt. Loki must have sensed the change in me, because he tightened his hand on my knee again and I jerked back a bit. He let go of me and I looked at him to say that it was fine.

"Why are there no records of missing persons?" Steve asked as the team prepped their equipment and began heading down to the docks, unfolding black body bags to collect the victims of another person's madness.

"They were all transient." I said and he looked at me in shock. "Migrant workers, and fishermen. Walk off the boat because you hate the hard work or to go see your family, just follow them and grab them before they get too far. They had no one who would notice if they went missing. None of their employers would notice them if they vanished suddenly because it happens all the time up here, you heard what that boat captain told me earlier today. Come for the paycheck, and find out how hard the work really is, so they go back home. That is what happens up here. No one to ever mourn them."

Everyone looked at me and I took in a breath quietly, feeling sad for the victims of this madness, and tried not to cry or think if anyone would miss any of them at all.

"We will mourn them," Bruce said and I nodded.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

"At what point of that being a stake out did the four of you just randomly think that burning the building down to the pylons was a good idea?" Fury barked at the four of us as we sat and stared at the center of the table, I studied the patterns in the wood grain and Tony found something interesting on the floor to look at. I shifted in my seat and tried not to feel like I was in High School, being scolded by the Principal again for blowing up the Chemistry Lab on accident and hung my head.

"I now have out current President demanding answers, and I am seriously considering incarcerating our off world guests for the rest of their unnatural lives, however long they may be. So please, in thirty seconds or less, give me a very good reason why I should not be entertaining such thoughts. And make them damn convincing."

Loki glared at Fury for threatening us and I put my hand out to stop him before he went into full attack mode, Tony and Steve looked at the two of us and then back at Fury. I internally fought the urge to say something rude and succeeded at it, knowing that any amount of sass I threw at him would pretty much not be helpful in keeping me out of a whole lot of trouble for loosing control over my powers.

"There are two more sites where the infected are being stored, and we also got more than enough information from the computer on site to point us in the direction of who our Voudou Who Do is." Tony replied and I tried my best not to groan at his really bad joke. Fury glanced as me and I wanted to become one with the chair I sat in, I took in a breath and looked up at him.

"I'm claustrophobic." I said and shrugged. "Not a good thing to put me in a windowless cell especially since I have a hard time controlling myself.. Also, after what I saw last night, I will be lucky if I ever can sleep comfortably again. And Tony is right, we need to stop this person before they reach their goals."

I shivered and all the men around the table looked at me as I pulled my feet into the chair and wrapped my arms around my knees. I still wanted to disappear, but managed to not run screaming from the room.

"He saved my life." Steve said pointing at Loki.

"One of them tried to bite me, and he shot it before it could. I owe him for that one." Steve finished and Loki nodded at him for the acknowledgment appreciatively.

"You have finally found something worse than me Fury." Loki said. "And as much as I loathe to admit it, you as well, I am frightened of what this means for this little rock."

I closed my eyes and sighed at Loki's poor choice of words, but he was so very right. Fury was also not there for the nightmare we walked into. He did not have to see or face what we did, nor did he now have to live with everything we had to do to walk back out of it. I shivered and thought about the dead child that ran at me and my stomach lurched, I shot out of my chair and barely reached the trash can in the corner before I vomited. I heaved and shook until my stomach was empty and felt two sets of hands on my back as I closed my eyes and shook some more. I looked up and saw Steve and Loki calming me and groaned as they both watched me closely for any signs I was loosing it further.

Steve got me a bottle of water and I drained it, using some to rinse my mouth as Loki helped me back to my chair. Tony pushed the plate of bagels at me and I shook my head as I pulled myself together.

"You O.K?" Tony asked me and I nodded.

"Yeah." I said and breathed slowly. "Nerves finally caught up to me and my body let me know who was really in charge. I get sick to my stomach after a fight sometimes, I may be scrappy but I am a total wimp." I rested my head back in the chair and looked at Fury, swallowing hard and narrowing my eyes at his lack of sympathy.

"They infected kids, you want to stop them, so do I. I want to make them pay for pulling children into this more than anything. I want them found, and I want you to make them rot in a cell for the rest of their lives for those people. They didn't ask for this, and they did not deserve to die in that way. You want answers, we got them for you, but I sure as hell will not apologize for saving other lives, so you can go to hell if you want me to feel bad about burning the place down." I said and Fury nodded at me, his one good eye blazing as he turned away from me. Steve and looked at me shocked for what I said and I rolled my eyes back at him, but felt nervousness inch its way around my brain.

"Also, the joke is on you there. I was planning to go fuck myself anyways." I said, rubbing a bit of salt in the would I had inflicted on his ego and smiled as he turned back at me sharply. Tony and Steve gave me wide eyed expressions of pure shock, and Fury and I stared each other down for several moments more.

"Thanks to your complete disaster of a mission, we do have a name and a face behind this ever growing nightmare." He said as he took in a deep breath and turned to the screen behind him. I sat back in my chair, knowing I had won that round. Crossing my arms, I looked at him as the rest of the table relaxed. He called up the image of an attractive black woman and my jaw hit the floor in shock. I wanted to shake my head but resisted, still shaken that a woman could be so heartless and cruel.

"Leonie Ezora Mentoumbu, age twenty nine, a refugee from Haiti who came to the United States after the Earthquake killed her family. Her last known address was in Florida, but she vanished a year ago. She is believed to frequent New Orleans, namely the French Quarter. Here is your practitioner of Black Magic or whatever you want to call it. She has three known associates, followers if you will, and she may also be the reason for the virus." Fury said as I read her highest level of education and blinked incredulously at the screen, my face must have given me away because he looked at me and stared at me.

"Have something to add?" He asked me sharply and I swallowed.

"I don't think she made the virus." I said and everyone looked at me and Fury crossed his arms. "Something that complex requires a lab, million dollar pieces of equipment, and a complex knowledge of genetic engineering. Her highest level of education in Haiti was the fifth grade, and I am not judging her for that, my highest level was High School and I have a high I.Q. But it also says she is unemployed, living off of government benefits, she does not have the money or the education to create something like that. That virus is not something you can just bake up in your kitchen, using a chemistry set and luck. There is someone out there with both money and the necessary resources to help her, we may be looking at two very different threats when it is said and done." I said and looked around the room, Tony and Steve agreed with me silently and Fury looked at me and sighed.

"That is what concerns me most." Fury said and we all fell silent at the revelation,

"One thing at a time," Tony said and I nodded. "Let's take care of the Mojo Queen and her two other sites before all Hell does break loose. After that, we will tack down the lab and the Evil Genius that baked up our little monster. I can only deal with so much right now, and I don't want to fight a war on two fronts at this time."

"Tony, they may just be the ones we need to focus on," I said and sat back. "If they made this, then what else do they have in their arsenal? What do you think they can do next? We need to look at it like a big picture, both threats need to be treated as one in the same, because I have the feeling that they have something much worse, and we are talking a possible Global Pandemic here."

"Cut it down into smaller battles Princess, and look at the broader picture another time we have a name and a face to put to the second party. But you want to go after the unknown, it is something I just can't handle with the resources we have." Tony snapped back at me, and I crossed my arms at him.

"The broader picture is the scary bit. Both of them are working together toward something bigger. You are so focused on the Earthquake, you are not even looking at the Volcano that can be triggered into eruption." I said sharply and shook my head, Fury slammed his fist into the table loudly and made it shake and everyone looked at him.

He looked around the table at the four of us and sighed as he leaned forward with both his palms flat on the surface. I shrank back a bit and he looked at Tony and I and shook his head, probably disappointed at us as a team in general.

"You two going to get along, or do I have to separate the both of you?" Fury asked and I sat back quietly.

"Can he accept that I am probably right? That we need to go after both players here or we can really kiss our collective asses goodbye." I said and Fury looked at me and narrowed his good eye at me. I rolled my eyes and groaned openly and threw my hands out to show how exasperated I had grown with everyone.

"Can you believe this shit Loki?" I asked turning to him and he regarded me. "Is it because I am a woman that you all refuse to listen to me? Should I grow a set of balls to get you to see..."

"Shut up Ms. Hawthorne!" Fury Shouted at me and cut me off, I looked at him shocked and was going to start in on him but the look he gave me screamed that it would be a very bad idea to continue with my thought process.

"We see your point, but I agree with Stark. One thing at a time, we go after the first threat we are aware of, and come back to your second problem later if it still exists." Fury said, composing himself and I looked down at my hands, feeling deflated and I knew that no one was going to win this argument.

"All of you are going to see something, and it just came to me this morning. Promise me one small thing." He said as he looked at all of us and then focused on me. "Do not take any samples for study later, everything burns."

We all looked at him with a bit of shock and I sat forward in my seat with concern about what he was making us all promise him as he tapped a button and an email he received was displayed on the monitor behind him. I scratched the back of my hand as I read it three times to see if I actually understood the message correctly, Loki cleared his throat and I curled my hands into fists and rested them both on my thighs. Reading the email again in disbelief and turned pale as I swallowed.

"Why does the Pentagon wan an undamaged specimen?" Steve asked and I looked at him sadly.

"Biological Weapons," I said and he looked at me shocked. "Send an infected in behind the enemy lines, let the virus do what it does, and send in a team to mop up the mess later. It is the perfect weapon that does not need to be reloaded or maintained."

I hated raining on someone's Patriotic Parade, especially Steve's.

"God I hate the government sometimes. It is a bunch of idiots running an even bigger bunch of idiots." Tony said and crossed his arms and groaned.

"Even I find that to be a very bad idea." Loki said sardonically, and I saw Steve nod in agreement with him.

"Do the powers that be realize that we will do everything we can to stop them from getting their hands on this?" Tony asked Fury and they looked at each other as Fury narrowed his eye at the other man and stood quietly at the head of the table.

"I agree with the four of you. I want to keep this planet from destroying itself, not aid in its destruction by our own hands." Fury said and he looked at me and I sighed. "Am I understood?"

"So." I said and looked around the table. "Officially, he told us to bring him a specimen, but in the heat of battle, we messed up and they were all destroyed. We cover each other, and Fury as well."

We sat quietly as an intern brought in a file folder and Fury opened if and frowned as he read, he glanced up at me and sighed as the blonde woman left the room staring at me. I sat back and he set the file folder down and slid it over the table toward me, I shook as I picked it up and opened it. I read through the chart and passed it on to Loki who frowned and looked at it as he scanned the list, his face troubled as he read and I sank back into my chair and rubbed my face.

"That file is the list of the burnt remains recovered from the cannery, thirty-eight people are now dead thanks to this woman. Leonie had an endgame, and I want to know what that is." Fury said and every part of me wanted to scream in anger, six of the recovered bodies were children. Their lives cut short in the madness of a war they did not ask to be involved in, they should have grown up, had children of their own. But that was all over for them, and it hurt to think about it.

"Good God." Steve said as he looked down at the list and I picked up a bagel from the plate and began tearing it up to give my hands something to do. I dropped the bits onto an open napkin and I turned the bread product over in my hands as I tried not to start screaming or whatever.

"I don't want to know what is in the other two locations." Tony said and sighed. "But we have to clear them both before someone else does."

"Where do we start?" Loki asked and we looked at him silently, not hiding the incredulous looks on our faces as we looked at him.

"I don't know if you have been keeping up on current events, but I am drained. I need sleep and I really don't know if I can do that right now thanks to the nightmare fuel I was just exposed to. Now you just want to run headlong into it again, have you lost your damn mind?" I said and resisted throwing a bagel at him as he glared at me for snapping at him. I did not care though, he sighed as I turned back to my bagel and continued tearing it apart.

"Kids, lets not fight. We are not going directly back into the fight right away, we will all get a few hours to recover from the last one." Tony said and I continued to tear my bagel into smaller pieces, setting the raisins in it into a separate pile neatly.

"Where are the addresses located?" I asked sighing and Fury clicked and pulled up satellite images of two where houses. Both located in business districts, and both really close to population centers. I put my forehead on the table between my arms and groaned as I looked at them.

"One is located in Madison, Wisconsin and the other is in Tallahassee, Florida." Fury said and I sat back and thought about which one we would be hitting first, Tony rubbed his face as Steve stared straight forward. Loki looked at me like he was a clock spring wound too tight, and I felt like crap all around. My joints started to ache from the power drain, and my stomach was threatening to revolt on me again. I took in a long breath and looked at Fury as he scanned the room again.

"How long do you need to recharge, or whatever it is that you do?" Tony asked me and I shrugged as I looked down at my piles of bagel bits and dried fruit on the table and rubbed my face.

"Six to eight hours, I am feeling a bit tired but I am not completely drained." I said and I had an idea. "You know, I could find out more, and faster if I had the doll and if I summoned Papa Legba. I could ask him some questions and get our answers."

I swiveled my chair around and sighed, Loki looked at me angrily and Steve and Tony leaned back and looked sad and worried at the same time. I internally regretted asking to be allowed to summon a Voudou God.

"What do you need?" Fury asked me and I took a moment to think about the list I would need.

"A bottle of rum, some black candles, a white candle, red brick dust, a sharp knife, dragons blood incense, and a white linen robe. And of course, the doll. It is linked to him and it will have to be destroyed after the ritual is completed, namely by burning it. Just a heads up." I said and Steve grew steadily paler and paler as I talked. None of the men around the table was going to like what I had to do to get the information, but they would just have to deal with it later.

"I have a feeling you are leaving something out." Loki said and I folded my hands and tried not to look up at any of them. I focused on my feet and swallowed hard as I leaned my head back and thought of a way to make it seem like it was not that dangerous. In reality, you did not ask Voudou Gods for favors lightly without giving up something in return.

"The Loa are known for not just handing over whatever you want, there is always a price for their services. It could be anything from a simple bottle of booze, to something much more powerful, more sacred. I will have to make a deal with Legba and the bargain may end up being the promise of my soul." I said, the last word coming out like a gunshot, despite my whispering it and all the men around the table stopped and looked at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loki shoot out of his chair and he turned mine so that I looked directly into his face. He was inches from me and he stared at me intense and he held fast to the arms of my chair as I cringed back in instinctual fear.

"I will not allow it." He spat at me and Steve stood up and looked like he was going to vault the table. "You will not deal with your life like it is a trivial thing to be toyed with at your foolish whim for easy answers. Do you understand this? You will live Lilliana Rose if I have to drag you back to Asgard in chains, so put that thought out of your mind and come to your senses you foolish girl."

He pushed back from the chair and glared at Fury for even thinking of allowing me to attempt to do what I was wanting to. I slowly uncurled from the seat and shook for several minutes as I took in several deep breaths and my stomach flipped out of nervousness.

"Do that again to her..." Steve said and Loki turned sharply and looked at the other man and he looked back at me as I shivered a bit. His eyes filling with regret as he returned to his seat and sat back in it, the tension in the room dissipated slowly.

"We can go through the data we got from the computer, we are all tired right now and emotions are going crazy. Maybe the next place we hit will give us more information." Tony said as Steve sat back down himself and glared across the table at Loki. At that moment, I was glad to not be alone in the room with him, and even more grateful for Steve.

"Which site do you want next?" Fury asked and I watched Loki nervously as he sat back in his seat and I studied the floor again, afraid to look at him and angry with him as well. He was getting worse, and his moodiness since he returned from Jotunheim was getting on my last nerves. On top of that, his actions in the previous moments made me want to smack him. I found myself looking at Steve and smiling at him openly in thanks for coming to my defense, even if I did not need it. He returned the smile and I blinked as I returned to Fury.

"Wisconsin, I could go for some good cheese." Tony said and I nodded my agreement.

"No matter which one we go to, it is going to be bad. I really don't care." I said and sighed.

"Well then, let me arrange some more equipment and get it ready for all of you, and Ms. Hawthorne is officially ordered to sleep during this time." Fury said and I looked up at him sadly, I didn't want to sleep thanks to the nightmare I had just been through, and he knew it. I wanted to protest his orders, but he ignored all of us as he walked out of the room and Steve looked at me and gave me a wink and I nodded at him as I smiled. Loki glared at him for the gesture and I let out a breath as I rubbed my palms over the arms of the chair.

We all sat silently for a few moments, and I swiveled my chair back and forth and sighed as I spun it around like a little kid. The tension seeped back into the room as Steve and Loki Glared at each other and I rolled my eyes.

"Threaten her again..."Steve said, and pointed at Loki to drive his threat home.

"I do not fear you Rogers. You heard her foolishness, I will not have it." He retorted cutting Steve off and I looked at the both of them in annoyance.

"Can we stop hosing the table with testosterone for a few minutes and come back to the big picture here?" I said and looked around the room. "It was just a suggestion Loki, and Steve, I was not threatened at all. If anything Loki was playing with fire there, all of you need to clam down and relax or do some yoga or something."

Everyone in the room relaxed and I sat back in the chair and pulled one leg up under me, letting the toe of my shoe dangle and tap the floor as I looked at the window behind me. The damp lawn glistened with morning dew and I turned the chair a bit to watch the sun catch on the individual droplets, creating tiny rainbows on the air. I was lost in my meditation with a hand landed on my shoulder suddenly, causing me to jump out of my skin and the chair nearly tipped over in my fright.

I looked up and saw Loki looking down at me, concern crossing his face as I sighed and looked at the reactions of the other two men in the room and found them to be as expected.

"I am still jumpy from our run in with Night of the Living Dead." I said and looked around. "I guess we all are, but we can't really change that now can we?"

"And you look really tired Princess. Want to go get some sleep?" Tony said and I snorted at the thought.

"That is probably no going to happen there, sleep is the furthest thing from my brain right now, not after everything we saw and went through." I groaned and put my head down on the table and wrapped my arms around it to shut out the light.

"I know." Tony said and sat back in his chair as I lifted my head, looking at me with some pity and he smiled at me.

"Just try to get some for all of us. We need you on this, and you do have abilities that none of us have." Steve said and I gave him a thumbs up as I sat back and groaned, the last twenty four hours catching up to me. I stood up and walked toward the door, stopping before leaving and turned around as everyone in the room looked at me. Loki sighed and looked at me sadly as I smiled back at him, trying not to lose my mind or yell at him for being a complete asshole.

"They used kids." I said and blinked back tears thinking about them, Steve looked at me and nodded.

"We will stop them before they hurt more." Tony said and I sighed.

"They already have hurt more Tony, they have two where houses full of those things. How many more lives are there?" I groaned and he smiled at me sadly.

"I can't say Princess, but we can prevent everyone in the world from dying." Tony replied and I nodded at him and turned to leave. I looked back at Loki and I put my hand up and shook my head as he tried to follow me, he stopped and I nodded. I wanted to be alone, and he being hot tempered was not going to be any comfort to me at this point.

"Try not to kill one another while I am out." I said and walked down the hall toward the room Tony had set aside for me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I woke up alone and checked the time on my phone and groaned at it. I had only been asleep for four hours, but it felt like an eternity. I pushed the sheets off me and sat up on the twin sized bed and looked over at the chair to see someone had put Skeletor Spartacus in it, I smiled at the bear sitting across from my bed and laughed to myself. I picked up the toy and hugged it to me, bringing the silly thing up to my nose and smelled nothing but clean, nylon fur as I set it aside and looked around me. I found my shoes and picked them up on my way out the door, plodding barefoot down the hall to the common area.

Steve looked up at me from his newspaper as I poured myself a cup of coffee and made myself a plate of eggs and french toast, I sat down across from him and sipped from my cup and let the liquid caffeine do its work in my system.

"You know, that is a dying media." I joked at him and he laughed as he folded and set the newspaper aside.

"Old habits die hard." He said and sat back in his chair. "How are you feeling?"

I poured some syrup over my food and began cutting the toast into manageable pieces as he watched me and I ate a mouthful of eggs and sighed. I knew he was going to push, so I gave in and looked back at him and rolled my eyes.

"As good as I can be, given current events." I said and looked around me and frowned, realizing how quiet it was in the house and got worried.

"Did Tony and Loki go all Thunderdome? It is almost too quiet around here." I said and raised an eyebrow at Steve as he looked at me incredulously.

"No." Steve laughed and shook his head. "They vanished into the lab after you went to sleep and are going over the data pulled from the computer we found. I think they are actually getting along."

"Cool. And a bit scary." I said around a mouthful of food and tried to hide my shock that Loki was actually working with Tony and they were being civil about it all. I was half tempted to see if Hell had actually frozen over outside.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that Panzer joke, sometimes I can't resist and I really need to get an edit button between my brain and my mouth sometimes." I said and Steve smiled back at me and shook his head, I finished my plate of food and pushed it to the side as he continued to sit quietly and watch me. I glanced out the window, just in case hell had actually frozen over and saw sunshine.

"Don't worry about it," He said finally and I nodded. "What is Thunderdome?"

I jerked back at his question and looked at him as he sat across from me and I let out a groan dramatically and sighed.

"Not another person who does not get my movie references. Mad Max." I sighed out and he shook his head. "There is a whole series of those films, some of them are really great, stupid violence and action with shaky plot lines. They are the epitome of bad Eighties Cinema, and cult classics."

Steve pulled a notepad out of his pocket with a pen and made a couple of notes in it as I watched, I gestured to the pad silently and he pushed it toward me. I flipped through the pages and laughed as I read the carefully made list that spanned several pages and smiled at him, openly curious about it and he sighed as I looked at him.

"I spent seventy years frozen, I missed a lot." He said and I gestured for his pen and he handed it to me.

"You sure did from the looks of it." I said and started adding to his list. "I'm adding Blade Runner, Tori Amos, Florence and the Machine, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly."

I passed him back his pen and notebook as he looked at me and I laughed a bit as he looked at me confused.

"Tori Amos is a musician, she is a little tiny redhead with a huge piano." I said and took a drink of my coffee as he sat back and watched me, stuffing the two items in his pocket and shaking his head.

"Can I ask you something?" Steve said, giving me a serious look and I set my cup down on the table as I looked a him.

"I guess, can you not get offended if I don't give you a straight answer?"

"Sure." He replied and looked up at the drop ceiling, thinking. "Does he treat you like that often?"

I rolled my eyes and groaned at the question and sighed as he watched me, I guess I could expect it though. It was really an out of nowhere reaction on his part.

"Steve, that was one time since we both got here, making a few biased assumptions?" I asked him and he nodded that he could be, but looked at me and I sighed.

"That was actually the first time I have seen him act like that in years." I said and took a breath. "He has never hit me, put me down, or mentally abused me. I honestly don't know where any of that came from. I will admit that he is an over protective butt head at times, but he has had a lot of stuff going on back home and I don't think he really needed to be pulled into this mess also."

"Are you sure?" He asked, challenging me and I laughed and sat back in my chair and he looked at me, seriousness crossing his face again.

"My reaction gave something away?" I asked him and he looked down at his hands and shook his head.

"A bit. You were like a beaten dog." Steve said and I sighed.

"I was abused by my father and a boyfriend before I got all my powers," I admitted, feeling ashamed I let him in. "They both beat me up pretty bad, and I lived a really hard life thanks to it all. That sort of stuff leaves scars you can't see, if I do flinch, it is pure instinct from all the shit I did take. I actually was a bigger mess when Thor and Loki picked me up than I am now, at least now I have people who care if I drop dead. Plus there are like five people in Asgard who will kick is ass if he hurts me."

Steve sat back and I got up to refill my cup and he smiled at me as I held up the pot to offer him some, he shook his head to say no. I returned to my chair and sat back down, sipping the liquid energy and started feeling almost human.

"I do agree with him on the whole Voudou God thing. Easy answers are not worth you risking your life." Steve said to me and I nodded.

"I am just trying to help, and if you really have to know why I picked him, he is the only one who looked at me like I am actually smart and not a total freak of nature. And he showed me a really huge Library." I said and he laughed at my statement.

"Don't laugh, girls like books they are sexy as hell. And a guy with a big Library, that is really hot." I said and laughed at my own joke, and smiled.

"Your romantic walks must be so boring." Steve said and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your idea of boring is shocking. I like going to movies and art galleries too. I also like museums and just laying in the grass and staring at the sky." I laughed and he smiled back at me.

"You are definitely one tough and interesting lady, you need to work on the language, but I think you are going to be fine." Steve said and I smiled over my cup at him and wiggled my toes as I pulled my feet into the seat of my chair.

"I have to be tough, I am too short to be anything else." I joked and he laughed at me and picked his newspaper as he opened it up smoothing it out carefully in front of him.

"You should really give technology a shot." I said and drained my cup. "It is only scary at first, I promise."

I picked up my plate and dumped my dishes into the sink as he watched me and sighed as I ran water over them, I looked over and Steve lifted his newspaper and looked at me.

"Call me old fashioned, but I prefer actually holding a newspaper in my hands." He said and I gave him a thin lipped smile.

"I still like to read actual books, but I like the convenience of technology. You can find any amount of information you want in seconds, and you can also reach out to people across oceans." I replied and he shrugged as me again, I laughed and flicked some water at him and Steve groaned at me as I smiled sheepishly at him. I turned off the sink and slipped my shoes on, walking out the door toward the lab and to go be obnoxious somewhere else. I slapped the entry button to the lab to be admitted and the double glass doors hissed open as I walked through them.

Tony and Loki sat at separate terminals and both of them looked up at me as I walked in, I gave them both a wave and grabbed a third rolling chair as I walked past it and drug it around the workstation to sit between them.

"You boys being good? I don't want to have to take away your chemistry sets." I joked and Tony gave me a side long glance as he smiled at me.

"I thought two sets of eyes would go through the information faster, Steve was resistant to sitting at a computer. Loki was a faster learner anyways." Tony said and I nodded. "We were looking at cat videos on YouTube, and just now decided to do actual work. How was your nap?"

Loki grinned at Tony's joke and continued to read the screen in front of him, briefly he stretched his neck and rubbed his eyes. Returning to the computer screen and reading on.

"Sad Cat diary is my favorite," I poked and Tony laughed a bit. "The nap was nice. Find anything new, or am I just interrupting a budding bromance here?"

Loki sighed and turned his seat toward me and I shrugged at him as I smiled sheepishly, Tony laughed and turned toward me as well. I shivered from the cold in the room and Tony reached behind his monitor and handed me his red hoodie, I gratefully put on and felt a like a little kid wearing her older brother's clothes thanks to the size.

"Not much really," Tony said and pointed at a few things on the monitor. "I was hoping to ask you about this, Loki found it in one of the documents and couldn't make heads or tails of it. Still looks like something important though, and you seem to be the one to know Princess."

He scooted his chair out of the way and he pointed to a few words and I read the entire page carefully and frowned. Scrolling down it, and glancing at the next page as I read from the text.

"Ouangas are talismans of a sort, they house spirits or souls in Voudou." I said and they both looked at me. "Whatever this ritual is, it requires twenty souls and the same amount of blood. She intends to call forth a being of power from Guinee called the Dargumiin, and use this to control all of creation. Tony looked at me and shook his head, I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes.

"Guinee is the Voudou land of the dead, Wiccans have the Summerland, Asgard has Valhalla, it is where we believe our soul travels there after we die. Giunee is ruled by Baron Samedi, and trust me, you do not go summoning him lightly, this guy will rip your throat out just because it is Tuesday." I said and Tony rubbed his face in thought.

"Sounds a great deal like Hela." Loki said and looked at Tony.

"Every culture has their own creation myths and their own version of the after life, what does not make sense to me is this." I said pointing to the word on the screen. "The Dargumiin, it is not a being or a god at all. Dargumiin is a sword or weapon found in Middle Eastern Folklore, dating back to Sumeria. The stories that talk about it, state that it was forged in the womb of a virgin with white hair and blue eyes. For the safety of mankind, it was cast into the land of the dead for safe keeping. And legend also says that whoever posses it, controls everything. Even the gods themselves." I said and Tony pushed me aside gently to pull up an image on the screen and I went pale. I had seen the elaborate pentagram before in my readings in the book The Keys to Solomon the King, and I swallowed hard as I looked at it and sat back.

"I really do not want to know how you know so much about this Sword or whatever, but from the look on your face, this is bad." Tony said and I nodded.

"Read a book Tony, it is amazing what you will learn. That particular pentagram is used in rituals to attract and capture the powers of Gods and Goddesses. Step into it with a drop of God Blood in your body, and you cannot leave it until the pentagram is broken or you are released by the practitioner." I said and both of them looked at me as I turned back to the computer.

"She has fourteen of the twenty souls." Tony said and I leaned back in the chair and sighed.

"She actually needs twenty one. Twenty human souls and the blood and soul of a God." I said thickly and looked at Loki, worried about the implications on him.

"It is a rather bad day to be me once again." Loki said and I sighed, not finding humor in his joke. Tony sat back and looked at me as I nearly groaned outwardly. I turned slowly and looked back at the monitor, reading quietly everything again. Committing some key words to memory to run a search on later, minimized the open windows and pulled up Google to run a search on the Wisconsin address.

It took me a few minutes, but I pulled up the most current building layout and studied it, giving my brain something more to do than to worry about some Voudou Queen running around and trying to kill everyone I cared about. The building was originally built for Donner Meats, and it was two floors of mazes and machinery. Hallways intersected and terminated at random on the second floor, while the first was more open, but heavy meat processing machinery created hiding places and blind spots galore though.

Plenty of places to hide a horde of flesh hungry zombies.

I used Google Maps to pull up satellite images of the area surrounding the old Meat Packing Facility and sat back, thinking for a moment about the last twenty four hours as one detail about our meeting a few hours ago popped into my head and started bothering me.

"Fury knows that I can escape from any prison I want to right? That nothing can really hold me, and how I can just jump between points in the universe?" I asked and turned my chair to face Tony and he sighed.

"He is aware of your abilities, yes." Tony replied and looked down at the floor as Loki narrowed his eyes at him and I stayed still. Pinning him with my stare as he looked from me to Loki and then back at me.

"How does he intend to imprison her Stark?" Loki asked and I closed my eyes and sighed.

"He was going to make a deal when we first arrived, but I told him to forget it. He said during that meeting that he needed a reason not to lock the two of us up, how does he plan to keep me from escaping? Because I can't be alive at that point, or awake." I pressed and my stomach sank as the truth dawned on me, Tony stood up and started pacing nervously. Obviously upset at what he was going to tell me, he looked up at the ceiling but I already knew what was going to happen to me if we screwed this up.

"I want you both to know, first off, I do not agree with it at all. None of it." Tony said, gesturing wildly and he came to a stop as he looked at me.

"Fury wants to put her into a medically induced coma if either of you so much as put a toe out of line, your record will help him convince anyone that he is right. His too." He said and I sat back and let the weight of what he had just told me set in. Fury was just another control freak who would make me a vegetable for the rest of eternity while Loki rotted in a prison cell, and I had no way of stopping him. I looked at Loki who was glaring angrily at Tony and I put out a hand to stop him before he did snap. I looked at the both of them and took in a long breath, remaining calm as I did so.

"And if we succeed?" I said and Tony sat back down in his chair.

"Both of your records vanish, no more being on watch lists every time you walk on the planet, and no more looking over your shoulders whenever you both are here. Fury wants us to succeed though, we have a situation here where failure is not an option at all." Tony said and he looked at me, and I looked to the side thinking and shook my head, I rolled my eyes and looked at Tony.

"We have a job to finish, to hell with Fury and his shitty deal. He wants to put me in a coma, he is going to have a pretty nasty fight coming from me." I said and closed my eyes. "I may be a monster to every one, but right now we have a nightmare scenario to put back into a box and we will."

Tony looked at me and smiled silently, he then looked at Loki who put his hand over mine and gave my fingers a squeeze. I did not look over at him, instead I stared at Tony, he was still on the hook for his outburst earlier.

"You have a horrible sense of duty kid. And for a monster, you are pretty hot." Tony said and I laughed.

"Well, if this virus gets out, then there will be no one left to put me in a coma." I replied and looked at the both of them and they both gave me a look that told me my special sense of humor was not funny at that particular case.

"I honestly fear a principality that would use this as a weapon against others." Loki said and Tony gaped at him, he shook his head and looked back at me.

But inside, we both knew Loki was right.

"I refuse to believe that you just said that." Tony said and I had to laugh a bit at his reaction, and shook my head as I laughed harder.

"Says the man who created a crazy murder-bot." I teased and Tony rolled his eyes at me.

"Thor told you about that didn't he?" Tony asked and I nodded as I started laughing at him, he groaned and looked at me.

"It was a rather amusing story, even I know not to meddle with powers beyond my understanding." Loki said and grinned sheepishly at him.

"It was an accident." Tony said defensively and I gave him a smug smile. "I can't win with you two."

"Now you know how I feel Stark." Loki said and I laughed as the computer behind me chimed to indicate that Tony received an email he would most likely ignore. I offered to move, but Tony waved at me to just ignore the message and I shrugged at him as he looked at me.

"I am pretty unmerciful with him at times, but he tolerates me." I laughed and Loki winked at me. Tony laughed and the three of us sat silently for a few minutes as I thought about everything.

"When does Fury want us to leave for Wisconsin?" I asked the both of them and Tony looked at me seriously. I gave him a crooked smile, and he rolled his eyes.

"Do you need any more time to recharge or whatever?" He asked me and I shook my head in response.

"No, unless you are going to wear the same thing as me to the Prom, then I will need to completely change outfits and get my makeup ready." I joked and Tony smiled at me.

"I will try to get Loki to match his cummerbund with your outfit." Tony joked back and Loki rolled his eyes. "What looks good with Gorilla Warfare?"

"I think an Uzi or a Rocket Launcher." I quipped and Tony laughed loudly. I smiled a bit at my own joke. "This time, when we go in, can none of us travel alone? We came too close to complete disaster last time, and I really don't think any of us want a repeat performance."

Loki and Tony agreed with me and nodded their agreement at me, Loki looked at me seriously and I folded my hands, trying not to scratch at the back of one of them nervously. I shivered at the thought of those broken teeth on the barrel of the rifle and I looked down at the cuff that his the arm guard on my wrist and adjusted it silently.

"We will pair off this time, and if we come across any infected persons, we will leave no trace of them." Tony said and I nodded my agreement at his statement.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

The ballistics vest hung from my hands loosely as I sat on the bed, my black tactical pants were tucked into the tops of a brand new pair of black Danner boots and I sighed as I put the heavy vest over the black tank top I was already wearing as an undershirt. Doing something crazy once in forty-eight hours was normal, but twice was borderline psychosis.

That is me, ten gallons of crazy in a five gallon bucket.

I secured and tightened the vest around my torso and slid my arms into a black button up shirt, undoing my belt and pants to tuck the shirt in when Natasha walked in. She saw me and waited in the doorway until I finished buckling my belt, leaning against the frame patiently with her arms crossed as she watched me. Her eyes narrowed as she pressed he lips together quietly judging and assessing me as I twisted to check my mobility, I turned and looked at her. She shook her head as I stretched my hands up above my head and felt compressed again by twenty five pounds of kevlar and ceramic plating.

"I can't believe you are going back in there." She said and I turned around to put my arms through a shoulder holster I had just picked up from the bed, holstering a Desert Eagle in it and feeling a bit more confident with the huge pistol under my arm.

"Somebody has to Big Red." I said and looked at her. "You know it, I know it, Loki knows it, hell even Fury got the same memo as us and knows it. So it looks like I do not have much of a choice right now."

She sighed and looked at me, but still looked at me like she was afraid for me. I put my arms out and did a quick turn in front of her, flipping my braided hair as I did and giving her a kissy pout as I pivoted.

"And here sporting our Fall Line is our model, Lilliana. Her boots make her scream fierce, while the Desert Eagle accents the latest in Women's fashion from Paris. She is at the top of style and class in her Marc Jacobs Balistic Vest and her Prada Combat pants. Work it dear, you are dangerous!" I joked and she smiled at me, trying really hard not to laugh at me.

"Steve said the same thing about this mission," She replied as she walked in and adjusted the strap for the shoulder holster. "You put it better than he did though."

"He said the same thing about this being the latest in Fall Fashion? He stole my joke!" I said, faked shock and Natasha laughed and smiled at me.

"Yeah, but he was feeling strangely fabulous at the time, his hips really know how to work the cat walk." She laughed at me and I smiled at her as I sighed.

I snorted at her joke, and sat down on the bed, watching Natasha as she picked up the bear and sat down in the chair across from me. Setting the toy in her lap as she waited for me to get settled, I had to push the gun under my arm around a bit to keep it from rubbing at my underarm painfully.

"Be careful with Skeletor Sparticus, he and I have very long conversations about life. He is quite the wise zen master." I said and she regarded the bear and laughed at me.

"Skeletor Sparticus? That is so not a proper Teddy Bear name." She teased and I gave her a smirk, I gave her a pass on judging my bear naming skills because she had far from a normal life herself.

"You could at least name him something normal like Pete or Cuddles." She said as she looked down at the bear and held it up. "Even Sammy is a good bear name."

"I could, but then all the other bears at the picnic would pick on him for being weak, He needs a tough name so that all the other bears know who is in charge." I said back to her and she smiled as she put the bear back into her lap.

"You are so weird." Natasha laughed and I smiled back at her.

"Natasha, my friends include Tony Stark, Thor, and I am dating Loki. I am going into a where house willingly that may be full of zombies. I can blow things up if I wave my hands wrong, teleport, shift gravity, and I can manipulate fire. When is anything in my life normal?" I challenged her and she laughed at me again as I leaned back on the bed. She understood having a bizarre life, and she was good to talk to when you were scared out of your mind like I was now. She knew how to make you feel somewhat better. Plus she accepted what I was like everyone else in the building, so she definitely fell into the cool friend category.

"Want to quit and have a normal life on a beach somewhere?" She asked me and I smiled at her question, thinking about how it would be kind of nice to fake normal for a bit.

"Sure, you grab Steve. I will get Loki and we will just take off in the jet for Cabo. I definitely want margaritas and sunshine for a while." I said and she smiled at me and I picked at a thread on the pants I was wearing as I thought about the beach.

"I keep meaning to ask you about that, you and Loki." She said and leaned toward me in the chair. "What is he like, you know..."

My mouth fell open as she grinned at me and I turned bright red instantly at her question, seeing my reaction. She leaned back and pinched her lips together trying to stifle a laugh. We both collapsed into giggles and my blush deepened, not knowing how to answer her.

"You know, we may be friends, but I have no problem beating you up." I said and groaned. "I really hope you are joking."

"You are bright red." Natasha laughed and I took in a deep breath. "I knew that would get you."

"You are horrible! Oh my god I hate you right now, that was awkward!" I groaned as I lay back on the bed, Natasha sighed and looked at the door. I turned my head on the pillow as I shifted to move the gun and covered my face with my hands as I got control over myself. We sat quietly and I returned to picking at the thread on my pants when Natasha touched my other leg and raised her eyebrows in question. She didn't have to say what she was wondering, I just knew.

"I'm really scared of going in again." I said, Natasha reached out to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I shivered and looked at her and she gave me a thin smile.

"It is normal to be afraid of dying. Self preservation and all that, completely normal. Don't beat yourself up because of it." She said and I exhaled, puffing out my cheeks and she moved, sitting on the bed next to me as I sat up and putting her arm around my shoulders. She gave me a half hug and I looked at her, and returned her smile with a weak one.

"I'm actually scared for the four of you, I just fly the jet, you guys are the ones actually going into the fray. There is nothing wrong at all about being afraid to die, I can't even begin to tell you how many times I was scared I was going to get my ticket punched. New York alone was hairy enough without me having to beat up your guy." She said and I shook my head and looked at Natasha. She leaned back a bit and I sighed, looking at her patiently and realized why I was scared.

"I'm not scared of dying because I will die, I'm afraid for the people I will leave behind. I'm scared for that person who will have to put a bullet in my brain, and how they will have to face that because I got back up and tried to bite someone else." I groaned and put my face into my hands, she gave me a half hug and I smiled at her.

"Don't think of it then, the more you focus on it, and the more you are afraid, the more likely it will happen. But if you do become a Zombie, eat Tony first." She joked and I laughed, but found no real humor in her joke.

"I laugh, but I really don't find that funny." I said and gave her a smile.

"Sorry." She replied and I looked at her, giving her a slightly serious look.

"Steve would be an easier target, nothing to cover him and completely defenseless. I would need a can opener to get to Tony." I said and looked down at the floor and she laughed, slowly I felt the laugh come on and I joined her. The image in my head of zombies trying to figure out a can opener was good.

We sat quietly for a bit and she put the bear back into his seat and I looked around the spartan room, I wondered if the long term occupants would be allowed to decorate their rooms to their tastes and sighed at how sterile it all seemed. Empty and void of anything that made the room belong to someone. I then felt a bit homesick for Asgard and my huge room filled with my stuff and the framed posters that I had collected, the desk where I sat and drew pictures on boring days, the books I collected, even the candle holders in the windows. I guess I missed home, I even missed Fandral in my own way. I wondered too if I would go back there, or if this was the last great adventure for me.

"Do you ever get tired of saving the world?" I asked Natasha and she took in a breath.

"Yeah, I have been tired of it, but it still needs to be saved every now and then. It is a hard job, but we all work to make things so much better at times." She said and I let my hands rest on my knees.

"I told myself after Astoria, I promised myself, that I would not get involved or be drug into another battle like this. But here I am, back in the middle of it all, facing the bag bad under the bed and clearing it out of the closets. How much more do I have to give before it is enough?" I sighed at her and Natasha gave me another hug.

"I don't know." She said and frowned. "I think it is when you say it is enough, but even then, something will always find a way to pull you back in."

"History tells us to envy the society that has heroes." I shrugged and Natasha smiled at me. "But on the other side of the coin, you want to pity the society that needs them."

I smiled sadly and looked at her, I wanted to disappear into myself and never come back out. Forgetting the world around me and pulling a new Great Wall of China around myself to keep everyone and everything out. But some part of me told me I needed to stay. I spent years with my own personal wall built up around myself, and it was only recently that I started letting people in it to see who I was. I really did not want to turn myself into that hermit again, and I did not want to loose how much I found by closing myself off again.

"We should get moving, there is a storm cell moving over Wisconsin and I want you to get in there and out safely." She said and I nodded. Natasha sighed and stood up, I followed her into the hall as we crossed paths with Steve, the three of us moving forward toward the jet on the lawn.

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Loki sat quietly in the jump seat across from Stark who was pacing irritatingly as Lilliana and Rogers boarded the jet. Natasha pausing to close the ramp before she started her checks of the vehicle to take them to their next destination, not missing a thing as she checked loading straps. Lilliana sat down next to him heavily and sighed openly and the jet powered up, he looked down at the huge gun under her arm and inwardly despised the less than graceful weapon but did not outwardly show it because he knew it would keep her alive.

"Fashionably late." Stark said and Rogers looked up at Stark coolly. Lilliana ignored him completely, lost in her own thoughts. He looked down at her as she sighed and glanced up at the man as he paced and looked down at the tablet in front of him, her annoyance evident but she managed to push it back. Stark continued to poke at the screen in his hands, having some difficulty holding the stylus due to his mechanical suit as Loki watched him. Observing the man silently as he looked down at the screen. He looked up and back to the screen as he thought, most likely making decisions concerning the mission.

"Team Hogworts want the ground or second floor?" Tony asked, and she looked up at him and smirked at his joke.

"We are obviously Lord of the Rings." She said and shrugged, the joke only half hearted and he found that concerning in itself.

"Flip a coin, we are all facing the same nasty scenario. It is not really going to matter what floor we take." She finished and rubbed her nose on the back of her hand.

"We can take the ground floor if you wish Stark." He said and Rogers looked up and at all of them. His eyes focusing a bit too long on Lilliana for his taste, and Loki did his best to ignore the lingering glance. She leaned against him and closed her eyes as Stark went back to his tablet and Rogers busied himself with another task.

"You look unwell." He said to her, and he was not incorrect in his assumption. She looked paler then usual, and her eyes were bruised from lack of sleep. Even the soft rosiness that gave her cheeks that endearing quality was faded and her entire countenance seemed drawn.

"I am just very tired." Lilliana said and looked around the jet. "I'm having a hard time sleeping with everything that is going on, I will be fine."

She looked up at him and inwardly he wanted to wrap her up and lay her small frame on the softest bed he could find, making her stay in it until she was fully rested. But he knew as well, that she would be stubborn and fight with him until she got her way. He smiled to himself, thinking about how she would most likely argue with him and roll her eyes, making clear her points and reminding him that she was capable of caring for herself.

"I worry now that you shall make a mistake on this." He said and she shifted against him as the large gun under her arm made her uncomfortable, she pushed it to the back of her torso slightly and settled again. She closed her eyes and sighed as she hid a tired yawn, and he looked down at his hands.

"Don't" She argued gently. "I will be careful, and you all are there if it gets too crazy."

"Try to get some sleep while we are traveling, maybe any bit will help you." Loki said to her and she nodded and smiled up at him.

Tony walked over to them and handed her the tablet he had been poking at and gave her a half smile, she took it from him and looked down at it and back up at Stark confused. The frozen image was of the interior of Stark Tower and Loki had an idea of what it was, he stiffened and braced for her reaction and tried not to snap at the man in front of them.

"I thought you could use a laugh." He said and she eyed him suspiciously, and glanced down at the tablet again.

"If this is you dancing naked, I may never recover from the trauma." She said and Stark smiled down at her.

"Just play it, and be ready to laugh." Stark replied and Loki fought the urge to rip the device from her hands to keep her from seeing the video. He tensed at the embarrassment that was to come and she shrugged and sat up. She tapped the play icon in the center of the screen and watched her face as he tumbled across the screen and slammed into a wall, she cringed as she watched him stand up and Banner ripped his feet out from under him and swung him about, smashing him into the hard tile floor and leaving him behind. Frowning, she blinked and looked up at Stark as she handed him back the tablet, her face confused and disgusted. Loki expected her to laugh or tease him, but was surprised by her reaction. He was still humiliated by the video, and he pulled away from her when she tried to lean against his shoulder again.

The damage was done, in her mind he would be inferior to anyone else.

"I don't see how Bruce turning Loki into an anger management doll is in any way funny." She said and frowned up at Stark and Loki rolled his eyes.

"When you put it that way, it is hilarious." Tony replied and laughed, throwing his head back and stopped giving her a worried expression as she glared up at him.

"You hit your head or something Princess?" Tony asked and Lilliana blinked up at him.

"I am just not seeing much humor in that Tony, he could have been killed. It is also making me wonder about what you think is so funny about me, what you pick on me about. Grow up." She said and sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. Rogers walked over and was looking down at her concerned, Loki impressed himself by not beating both men to an inch of their lives in that moment.

"Can we all pretend to be a team for the next few hours and try not to push each others buttons?" Rogers said and Loki regarded the three people around him with general distaste. Lilliana sighed and moved to lean against him again, but he stood up and walked across the jet. Turning back, he saw a hurt expression on her face, but ignored it as he sat down in another seat across from her and glared at the three of them. Tanking in a breath, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the hull.

"Go ahead and laugh Lilliana, you have seen my humiliation." Loki said and she looked down at her feet and sighed before pushing out of the seat and walking to the front of the jet to talk with Natasha. She kept her head down and looked ashamed for what she and just seen, but Loki did not care if she felt shame at that point. She could go rot for all he cared, and he glared at her back as she talked in a low voice.

Eventually, she went back to her seat and tried her best to make herself comfortable across three of the molded plastic seats and she covered her eyes with her arm, she had one foot braced in a seat to arch her back over a hump that separated two seats and shifted uncomfortably. She pulled the gun out of the holster and pushed it under the bench as she shifted again and found a somewhat comfortable position, dozing off as the jet droned toward their destination.

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Stephen walked that clean, polished corridors of Ghemma Pharmaceuticals as he read the news reports on the explosion at the Cannery in Petersburg, Alaska. He smiled and straightened his pale blue tie, proud that his brainchild had not gotten out into the general population when a ping from the phone in his hand alerted him to a new email, he quickly opened the new message sent to him from a dummy account his people had set up and smiled.

His spy among Fury's people had sent several new files and he tapped the screen to open the first one, reading carefully about the Asgardian man and frowned. He found nothing interesting about the pale man with black hair, and his frown deepened as he read he was the cause of the invasion in New York and could not further understand why SHIELD would use him as a consultant on their current matter. They had always operated oddly, but this was very strange. He closed the file and sent it to his server to archive later and opened the next one and stopped walking as he looked down at a picture of a beautiful black haired woman with stunning violet eyes, she was sitting at a table in a conference room. Her face frowning in thought and lines of worry creating a deeper beauty on her face. He gazed at the photograph and started walking slower again this time as, he zoomed in on her features and took in a deep breath, admiring and committing every soft curve of her visage to memory. He looked at the woman in the chair a second longer before sending the file to his personal computer and the server for safe keeping. He quickly replied to the open email demanding more photographs of the woman, and hoped he would have them soon.

He opened the next file attached to the message and it contained a file with a much better photograph of the woman and one from the side with a person off camera holding her hair up to show a star shaped birthmark on her neck just under her ear and he let his fingers trace the mark on her before he scrolled down and read through the file listing her known associates and a detailed list of her abilities.

He picked up his pace as he read her paperwork and frowned as he came to her juvenile record, and his frown deepened further as he came to notes made recently concerning her association with the Asgardian named Loki from the previous file. He closed the files and sent them to his personal computer and server like the previous photo and was about to put his phone back into his pocket when another ping alerted him to another email from the same dummy account. He opened the message and smiled as several more photos of the woman were shown as attachments, and read that they were in route to the second location currently. The breadcrumbs he had left in Petersburg worked and the idiots were going to end another loose end before the wildfire that was his perfect virus spread out of control.

He darkened the screen and pushed through the heavy dark wood conference room doors to greet three other men who sat at the large table, waiting patiently for him to arrive. They each regarded him with detached interest, and looked irritated in their fine suits and silk ties, yet no one dared to say anything to irritate him.

"Gentlemen." Stephen said and each man nodded their greeting to him. "I have so much to share with you all."

He smiled as each of the three men listened, he filled them all in on his latest virus, pride taking over as he spoke passionately like a father talking about his son's latest sports achievement. He closed his briefing with a flourish and glared at the red haired man who sarcastically applauded. His sardonic smirk hidden behind a neatly cropped red beard that made his green eyes stand out that much more as he scratched his pale nose. His neat black on black suit that rode up a bit as he shifted in his seat and he looked up at Stephen and continued to smile.

"Aye Death, it is a pretty story." War, whose real mane was Adam McPhearson said." But ye left out a wee detail, what does this lass you talk about mean to our organization? She sounds sweet enough, but ye dinne say how important ya think she is."

Stephen closed both fists and regarded both of the other men at the table angrily, the other two Horsemsn looked warily at him and he picked up the tablet from the table behind him and looked through at the photos that were sent to him in the last few moments, selecting one of her standing in a pair of high heeled shoes and a lovely peach blouse, her hair cascading over her shoulder as she stood in the middle of a well manicured lawn. He displayed the photo for all the men to see on a centralized monitor, and called up a close up photo of her face and those wonderful eyes of hers. Each of the men studied her for a moment and Famine took in a breath and held it.

"Who is dis?" The dark man who went by Famine asked. "She is very attractive, but War is right. How do you see her among us?"

"This my fellow Horsemen, is Lilliana Rose Hawthorne." Stephen sighed and put his hand up to the monitor as if to caress her face. "She is our fallen angel, out Anti-Christ, the temptation of Judas Isacot, all in a very beautiful and perfect form."

The three men, all wealthy and powerful in their own right, looked from the photograph of the girl to the man who stood in admiration of her and Conquest shifted in his seat, rubbing his thick black beard as he thought. The pale Hungarian licked his lips and spoke clearly, his accent acute, but still present in his speech as he spoke.

"This woman, she is with the Avengers, no? How do you plan to bring her to us?" Conquest asked and the other two men nodded as he spoke, Stephen set the tablet down on the table in front of him and looked from one man to another silently. Since his formation of the Four Horsemen Initiative, he had never had his motives questioned and his leadership had always been above scrutiny. He, of all people, was the one who they depended upon for their wealth and he could take away the gifts and comfort he afforded them. He could leave them broken, sad men, lamenting ever questioning his leadership.

"She is a woman, and every woman has a weakness waiting to be exploited. All we have to do is find that weakness." He said and smiled politely back at his brethren, making them relax back in their respective seats and look around nervously.

"I hope ye are right about this." War said and took a sip of water from his glass. "A pretty little lass like her is bound ta have people who look out for her."

"I would expect no less, especially from Fury and his bunch." Stephen replied as he folded his hands behind his back. "I would actually feel disappointment if she were not protected, however, the four of us have resources enough to take possession of the girl when the time comes."

"The pretty has powers?" Famine asked and Conquest nodded at the question, looking at Stephen with interest.

"Da, you want an Angel of Vengeance, how much powers does she posses?" The Hungarian asked and straightened his silver tie under his dark blue suit as he looked at her photo again.

Stephen looked around the room and studied each man patiently, glancing down at the dark grained wood of the tabletop. He smiled to himself and looked at the clock that dominated one wall and walked around the table to stand behind the man from Sirera Leone, resting his hand on the back of the chair he sat in and sighed.

"Have no doubts Famine, have no doubts at all. The girl posses powers enough to be our Magdelina, I will forward each of you all her files and anything more that is sent to me in the future. Fury is currently using her to combat our Voudou inspired friend. And if I know anything about Fury, he does not select who fights his battles lightly. He, like myself see the true talents in her, and how they may be used for a purpose."

"This may be the sign we have been looking for gentlemen, for too long we have allowed our profits to be stolen away by other corporations, for too long we have allowed those in charge to shape a vision of a world that has gone terribly astray. We have within our grasp the Eve in which to build our desires, our world. A world saved from the humanity that has defined it for all too long, a world that for all its failings, should be ours by right alone. This woman, Lilliana, will be that catalyst of change and she will lead us into a new era. A new era, should you indulge me, that will make us into the new ruling faction over the planet. And no force will be able to stop us." Stephen said passionately, his voice excited at the new prospects of his being the one person who could control so much at once.

"Oppenheimer said tha same with his bomb." War said and smiled. "With her on our side, we stand ta become Death, destroyers of worlds."

Stephen stopped and took a deep breath, looking from one man to the next. Smiling as he ran his tongue over his teeth in thought.

"No my brothers, not Death." He said. "We shall become Chaos, creators of future worlds. The Horsemen will usher in a reign of terror and violence, and we shall brush off the ashes of the current world and birth the new, glorious one. As you know, birth is painful, so some may need to be sacrificed in order for us to reach our goals, and we shall happily spill the blood needed."

"How do we proceed." Conquest asked, stroking his black beard thoughtfully.

"K Ap Viv Lanmo was only the inspiration for something greater. As we speak, my scientists are developing a virus that does not kill at all, but changes the host at a genetic level, rewriting the structure of the genes to bring on a mutation that will be very useful to us. Another wonderful creation transmitted by bite. This virus will enter human trials within the month, and after that, we can use it to build an army."

"Should it be tha success you hope it will be." War replied and ran his fingers over his fiery hair nervously. "Viral infections are double edged swords, you dinne know when it will explode in ye face."

"Says the man who creates fearsome weapons, and is currently planning a dirty bomb attack in London. Which I mean to ask you to hold until I give a signal, this needs to be rather dramatic." Stephen shot at the man and War flinched, unaware that his plans had been leaked. He looked at Stephen in panic, but all the men at the table should know how well watched they were at all times. He would never let any of the men seated, make a move without his approval.

"I hold a grudge for William Wallace, the man dinne deserve ta die for his belief in Scottish Freedom. But, yea, I can hold the attack for a few months." War replied, his Scottish heritage coming out with beaming and fierce pride, laced with fear of the reprisal that was to come.

"Sometimes a coup needs a martyr War, it is the only way to guarantee a revolution continues to grow." Stephen replied and put his hand on the Scotsman's shoulder as he leaned forward and tapped a control on his phone to remove the images of the woman to bring up a security feed from inside a factory in Wisconsin, all cameras showed images of eerie calm which was such a horrible lie before the coming storm.

"And what will ours have?" The African man said as he watched the screen as a woman, their woman, carrying a rifle up to her shoulder entered the screen followed by a taller man. Both of them with tense body language that kept them alert for any sign of threat, her feet carefully picked her steps as she wove around equipment left derelict. She broke a chem light and shook it before rolling it into the darkness around her and the man behind her repeated the same action. Her face turned toward the camera, but she was unaware she was watched as Stephen smiled at her and looked into the face of a woman afraid.

"Ours will have a Goddess." Stephen said as he tapped a control and a timer began counting down from thirty seconds as the two people on the screen began making their way back into the production floor around machines.

"In thirty seconds, we shall see what this beautiful creature can do."

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It was dark and I was unarmed, moans came forth from the blinding darkness around me as I ran my shaking hand over the wall behind me for any type of escape or some form of light source. I tentatively stepped forward, desperate to feel for a door frame as I ran my hand over the wall and felt nothing but a solid brick gliding under my fingers. I reached out into the darkness as something disturbed the air in front of me. Feeling with my other hand and something cold and wet found my fingers. I traced it with the tips and found a nose, then a mouth as my breath became more ragged and my heart hammered in my chest. Something suddenly clamped down on two of my fingers, severing both of them in the mouth of an infected as I pulled back from the pain and cried out.

The lights in the hall came up and I looked at my bleeding hand as Loki walked around the corner and looked from my hand to my face. I was infected and I had seconds left and I screamed with my last word I would ever speak again.

"Run!"

I turned and screamed as my muscles twitched and I started convulsing as the Prions worked their way into my brain, involuntary muscle spasms took over and my mouth started foaming with saliva as Loki stood and watched in horror as I died and changed in front of him.

I felt my heart stop beating.

I then felt nothing more.

Nothing except the hunger, god I was so very hungry.

I turned and looked at Loki, my mouth becoming a terrifying shape as I hissed at him and he stepped back from me instinctively. I crouched low and screamed as he pulled a knife and ran for that warm beating heart, screaming and stretching my mouth open wide. Clamping down on Loki's neck and feeling blood pour over my chin. I pulled back with a mouthful of his flesh in my teeth and swallowed as I threw him back as he died and changed in front of me. I screamed again as we both toppled over to the tile floor and stretched my head back toward the ceiling and screamed in horror at what I had just done.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I jerked awake and punched the hull next to me as hard as I could in my panic, one of my fingers popping out of socket and causing me to yelp out in pain. Three men stared at me suddenly and I looked down at my little finger and found it bent at an unnatural angle at the second knuckle and my index finger dislocated at the hand. I cradled my hand gingerly in my good one as Steve walked toward me and I wrapped my fingers around the index finger and pulled it out. It slid back into placement with a sickening pop and began healing instantly. Steve put his hand out and looked at the little finger as I turned green from the pain, he grabbed the little finger and pulled as I braced myself and it popped back into joint. He carefully looked the rest of my fingers over and I looked at Loki, who was glaring at Steve as he carefully bent each finger and tested the joints in my hand.

"You should really talk to someone about you PTSD. I know a guy who is patient and good at listening. I can give him a call if you want and set up something for you." Steve said and I took my hand back from him and wanted to punch him in his mouth for even suggesting anything like that.

"Have Current events even proved to you that I am not all that good at interpersonal relationships?" I replied and glared up at him.

"It was just a suggestion." Steve said and I flexed my hand gingerly, touching my fingers one at a time to my thumb, assessing the damage. Loki watched me and I tried desperately to not show him that I noticed, he stood up sighing and walked over toward me and sat down next to me again as I went through the motion of bending each finger gently and I continued to watch each of the bruises fade along my knuckles.

"If you are going to act like a jealous butthead, move back to the other side of the jet. I don't have time to stroke your ego." I grumped and he sighed at me in annoyance.

"What may I ask has you believing that I am jealous of anyone here?" Loki asked me defensively, and I raised an eyebrow at him and rolled my eyes.

"Do I really need to go into how many ways you have acted like a total idiot, or can I just condense it into thirty seconds or less? Because believe me, the list keeps growing by the second." I asked and he glared at me.

"Mind yourself." He warned, holding up a finger and I threw my hands up and laughed sardonically at his statement.

"There you go again," I groaned. "Arrogant and controlling as ever. Jesus Loki, I am my own person. I don't need you treating me like I am a piece of property you claimed, and I really don't need your current state of crap. I had a huge feeling for two years that this was all too good to be true, you were actually becoming a decent person. Then you go to the fucking Jotunheim and come back all looking for a fight and pushing me away, I am really done with the bull shit right now." I hissed pointing a finger at him and narrowing my eyes.

"You mind yourself, because I am one hundred percent done with walking on eggshells around you." I said and got up, walking toward the supplies Fury put together for us and making myself busy opening cases and looking through them to get away from him.

I grabbed a combat harness out of a box and put it on over my shirt and started filling it with extra magazines, and opened another of the plastic cases to claim a rifle for myself before setting it aside. I started filling my pockets with chem lights and rolled my eyes as I opened a case that held more grenades in it and heard Loki walk over and watch me work. I dug into the case of grenades and he stopped me, his hand circling my wrist as I held one and I sighed up at him.

"What?" I snapped at him and he stood quietly as he glared down at me, my jaw tightened and I tried to yank my hand back from him but he held it fast. I sighed and glared back at him, becoming more annoyed by the moment.

"Do you really want to piss me off while I am holding a Fragmentation Grenade or is there a point to this?" I said and Steve and Tony moved toward the front of the jet as Loki looked down at my hand.

"I have a half brother from my father." He said finally and I looked at him in a bit of shock.

"That is the reason you have been a total asshole? You have a brother that you just found out about?" I said as he released my wrist and I put the grenade into my pocket. He started to walk away but I grabbed his arm quickly and he turned back, looking at me as he raised an eyebrow.

"Did you forget that I don't have any family at all? Or is that another thing you just forgot in your quest to be the center of the universe?" I asked him and he sighed at me.

"He is called Tilgun, and he is on the council in Jotunheim. He is heir to my father's throne and once again, I have fallen short." He said and looked down ashamed of what he had just told me. He struggled with his identity all the time, and he often felt he was never good enough to even stand next to me. Living in the shadow of the great Thor will do that to you, but find out that you have been lied to about your parentage, and that will screw anyone up.

"Do you really think I care what you are? How many times do we have to go over this before you get it into that thick head of yours that I don't?" I asked him as I walked around the supplies toward him and he looked up at me, surprise crossing his face as I talked.

"You know, Steve asked me today why I picked you, do you want to know what I told him?" I challenged as he looked at me, and he nodded.

"Of course." He said thickly, and I snorted.

"I basically told him that it was because you are you. You were the only person who really liked me for being smart, you wanted me to do better and you pushed me to succeed. You accepted me, and you didn't look at me like I was a total freak of nature because of what I am. You treated me as more than a novelty, a really cool new toy that you could play with for a while and forget about. You were there when the newness wore off of me and I just became another shadow in the hall, and you stuck around." I said as I hugged him gently, balancing on my toes a bit to wrap my arms around his neck as he stiffened but returned the embrace.

"You saw past the strange little girl, and you saw better in me. I don't care that you are not some powerful ruler or some high and mighty whatever. I care that you are you, the guy who believes in me as much as I believe in you."

"Little Mouse..." He started, but I cut him off.

"You didn't fall short Loki, you just took a different path than the one you were on, and it gave you something other than what you were expecting." I said and looked at him gently. "I would rather have you here, helping me through this nightmare than a thousand versions of Thor. That is the honest truth. I don't see him here, saving innocent lives. He is back in Asgard, eating food and getting drunk with Odin. He is not the one here right now, keeping me from becoming a human value meal. You are."

"But I have failed again, no matter my efforts to receive any status." He said and I gave him a look that shut him up before he could argue any more.

"You have status," I said and he looked at me confused. "You are my tutor and protector, the one person I trust most in the universe."

He sighed and I looked up at him as he pushed me away and started to argue with me. I stopped him by putting my hand on his cheek, and looked him in the eyes and I sighed. For two years, I had been afraid to say three words because I was afraid of his reaction, and now I was afraid that I would never get the chance to say them again.

"I love you." I said softly and he pushed me back, shocked and silent as he searched my face and I started regretting saying anything instantly. I looked down at my feet and tried to step back, but a pair of arms encircled me and he pulled me tight to him as he stroked the back of my head gently. I melted into his arms and he tilted my chin up gently and he looked down at me.

"I am not worthy of you Little Mouse." He said and I buried my face into his chest.

"You are, because I say you are Magic Dance." I said and I could feel his hand shake a bit as it held my shoulder, he didn't have to say it back, I knew.

"I also may have laughed a bit at Bruce Banner making you an Anger Management doll." I said and felt him sigh and chuckle a bit as we stood quietly.

"I may have deserved it." Loki replied and I laughed into his chest as we stood, holding onto each other as the jet flew us toward the next fight to face.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11.

I handed Loki a handful of Chem Lights and he put them into his pants pocket as we started to descend, Steve loaded his rifle and I began double checking mine nervously when Tony walked back to us and sighed. I looked at him and tried not to let it show that my hands were shaking as I loaded the rifle and handed it over to Loki, he put the strap over his neck and I worked on mine again to have something productive to do.

"Well kids, I think we all know the drill. Sweep and clear, if we run across any infected, Little Miss Sunshine here is to burn the place down." Tony said as Steve handed me another full magazine and I put it in my pocket.

"What about Fury?" Steve said and I looked back at Tony, sighing and rolling my eyes.

"Do you want to explain it to him?" I said, looking down at my rifle. "I am tired of constantly explaining everything to everyone currently.

"He has orders to produce a sample." Steve retorted and I groaned as Loki looked at him incredulously.

"Your sense of duty is really inconvenient." I said and Tony nodded his agreement with me.

"Fury is smart, even he wants this thing wiped out." Tony said and he jet bumped with turbulence, tilting a bit as we continued to descend toward the where house. I spread my feet apart and offset one to give myself a bit more balance.

"How many times do we have to go over this Steve? If this thing gets out, it will be a Global Pandemic. This virus is a real monster that we have to stop, not some weapon that can be stored with the Smart Bombs and pulled out anytime someone blinks wrong." I said as I looked up at him and he looked down at the floor.

"With that said," Tony sighed. "Slytherin will take the ground floor, while we take the second, anything gets hairy or angry the other team responds immediately. No splitting up, and no heroics."

"I am in agreement with you Stark." Loki said and I smiled.

"I'm short, but I not stupid." I said and heard Steve groan.

"You make short jokes about yourself, why can't anyone else?" Steve said and I smiled up at him.

"Double standards dude. Get used to them." I joked and Tony snorted as he looked at all of us, handing me a radio receiver that I quickly fitted into my ear. Time being a factor, I ran through a quick test of the device and Tony gave me a thumbs up indicating her had heard me clearly, Steve repeated the process and I nodded. I slipped the strap of the AR-15 over my neck and let it hang next to my hip crossing my arms and thinking to myself.

"Tony, four your information, I took the Pottermore Quiz online and I got sorted into Ravenclaw." I said and Steve gave me an odd look, I held out my hand toward him and gestured at him and he dug in his pocket. He put his little notebook in my hand and I opened it up, adding Harry Potter to the list and giving it back to him.

"Come now Rogers, even I knew what that was." Loki quipped and I rolled my eyes and pointed up at him and laughed, nodding to confirm that I had showed him the series. Tony braced himself against another bump of turbulence and I nearly fell backwards. I reached out and grabbed Steve's arm and caught Loki by the chest to prevent myself from falling and Loki braced me on my back to hold me upright. I looked at Tony and groaned as another lurch lifted me up off my feet and I had to bend my knees to absorb the impact of the landing.

"Sorry!" Natasha called out from the front of the jet. "We are hitting a weather system here, we should be on the ground in three minutes. Give or take."

"Faster if we crash." I groaned and Steve looked at me to say he did not find the joke funny.

"Do your best Natasha." Tony said and I steadied myself again as the jet lurched to the side suddenly, I heard the rumble of thunder outside and groaned. I straightened up and another sudden lurch caused me to loose balance again and I slammed into the hull of the jet, my feet crossing over one another as I stumbled and skidded across the floor.

"Sorry." Natasha said again and I rolled my eyes, straightening up and planting my feet as I tried to look for a hand hold as we careened to the opposite side and even the men lost their balance that time.

"You O.K? Steve asked and I gave him a thumbs up as I grabbed some cargo netting to hold myself up as the jet lurched to the other side and Steve went sliding on his feet the other way.

Being short sucks sometimes, being light sucks even worse.

"If this keeps up, we may not survive the landing." I quipped and Tony laughed as Steve made his way over to the hatch, preparing to open it. A flash of lightening illuminated the interior of the jet and the four of us looked out the rear as it opened up, staring at the downpour we were walking into as it opened. The distant rumble of thunder marking out arrival.

"Lovely." I said and Loki looked over at me. "I forgot my umbrella at the house."

"You don't think this could be Thor, do you?" Steve asked and I shook my head along with Loki to answer him.

"No," I said and the jet touched down in the parking lot. "He has other things going on, sunny things with very pleasant weather."

Steve shrugged and Loki rolled his eyes at my joke as we walked down the ramp. Natasha dusted off again immediately, leaving us in the rain and me standing in a puddle. We wasted no time as we brought rifles up and quickly and made for the building. We split into two teams and circled the large concrete structure, checking for other access points and meeting again at the front of the building with Steve and Tony. I wasted no time, placing my hand over the lock and shattering the bolt, backing off to let Steve and Tony take point and we walked into the dark building.

We dripped rain water off of us onto the tile floor and tried our best to make no noise, but our boots still squeaked on the polished floor under our feet from the wet and I did my best to not cringe. I used my already wet sleeve to wipe the water that dripped from my knit hat into my eyes and lost that battle, giving up and settling for tolerating the drips that escaped the wool. If they did not blur my vision, they could be tolerated, and I felt water trickle down to the end of my nose.

The lobby was small, occupied by a receptionist desk that was covered in a layer of dust that dated back to the Mesozoic era across from the main doors we had just entered through. To the left of the desk was a stairwell leading up into the dark upper floors, and to the right was a set of heavy looking wooden doors that lead into the slaughterhouse floor. The entire building stank of industrial cleaners and I wanted to open the lobby doors behind us to let in fresh air but resisted and tried breathing through my mouth to tone down the scent. Loki nodded toward the doors and I moved forward quietly as Steve and Tony vanished up the stairs, I ran my hand over the jamb to check for explosives that could be triggered and nodded to him as I put my hand on the door handle. I cautiously opened the doors in front of me and glanced through the crack and waited for a flash of lightening to give me a full picture.

The flash came and I saw nothing, and let out a breath as I waited for the thunder to open the doors wide enough to let us in. Using the crash that shook the building to cover our steps, we slipped into the factory proper and looked around, the thick darkness concealing everything that was not touched by the dim light from the windows twenty feet above our heads.

"Light." I said and Loki cracked a chem light from his pocket and tossed it into the darkness, and eerie green glow bathed the machinery beyond the gloom as the rain rattled and fell on the roof above us. I went to walk forward between two large machines but he stopped me and took the lead, I followed silently and cracked a chem light from my pocket and rolled it across the floor as Loki did the same with another from his pocket. His rolled the opposite direction from mine and I stepped quietly around a machine and brought the rifle up to my shoulder, resting my finger outside the trigger guard as I walked forward, following Loki into the darkness.

The wind made moaning noises outside and another flash of lightening turned the dim interior into daylight and the thunderclap made me jump at the sudden sound. Loki turned to check on me and I nodded at him to show him I was fine. I looked up and saw steel processing hooks for animal carcasses above my head and shivered at the sight, I looked back ahead of me and stepped carefully around to put my back to a large machine.

"This place is a tomb." Tony said into my ear and I rolled my eyes as he widened his eyes at me, I silently groaned at the statement.

"Really bad choice of words man." I said and fished another chem light out of my pocket and cracked it, tossing it overhand between the silent machines ahead of us and Loki glanced back at me again as we both walked between the huge pieces of equipment.

"You know," I said to Loki and squinted into the gloom ahead of us. "Seeing you with an Assault Rifle is surreal as all get out."

I heard a laugh in my ear as I stepped closer to the end of a row and pointed the barrel of the rifle around the corner into the darkness as it turned into sudden daylight. I yelped quietly in pain as my eyes adjusted, shielding them as the fluorescent lights overhead came on. We looked around us and I blinked again to clear the water from them and turned around, swinging the rifle around and covering myself.

"What the hell is going on?" Steve said into my ear as I allowed my eyes a second more to adjust.

"Language Steve." I heard Tony say and I ignored it.

"Maybe the lights are on a timer." I said and stopped to listen, straining over the hum of lights, wind and rain that continued to create the ambient background noise. I heard a low moan somewhere on the floor, followed by another one and it was not the wind. I pressed my back against the tall piece of machinery and held my breath as I tried to echo locate the source of the moan, squeezing my eyes shut and listening as I turned my head and strained to pick one sound out of several. The sound came from all around us thanks to the lack of insulation on the walls, and I shivered as I heard another moan and a shuffling step closer to us. I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled one of the chem lights out, backing into the center of our space between the equipment and threw it overhand across the where house, listening to it rattle and clang as it bounced off random pieces of scaffolding.

The shuffling sound moved away from us, but more moans joined in the horrifying chorus and I looked over at Loki as he brought his rifle up. I pulled another chem light out of my pocket and motioned with my hand for him to move back toward the doors we came in, he slowly turned and we quietly crept backwards and moved around conveyor belts. I heard the shuffling steps start again in our direction, so I threw the chem light in my hand. It bounced off metal again and we heard them move away from us and toward the new sound.

I let out a held breath and took a tentative step backwards, stopping dead in my tracks as an infected randomly wandered around the corner and looked at me with dead eyes. I froze for a half second and it snapped at the air as the memory of the first encounter came back to me, it lunged toward us with inhuman speed, shrieking as its teeth snapped on empty air as it came for us.

I squeezed the trigger, and the monster coming at me dropped as the bullet I fired punched through its cheek and out the back of its head, exiting with a red spray. Across the plant floor, we could hear shrieks bounce off the concrete walls, jerking our attention toward the sound as Loki and I brought weapons up and waited for them to come for us.

"We've got problems." I said and fired as the first one shot around heavy equipment toward us and fell back, searching for a spot that would not leave us exposed or in a bottleneck as we moved.

"Tony and I are on the way." Steve said as we both began firing into the swarming mob, picking targets and dropping infected as fast as they rushed at us. I cried out and ducked as one swung at my head blindly, missing my head and shoulder as it turned and Loki shot it in the face before I stood back up.

"Run faster." I said into the earpiece as I dropped a woman before she could bite Loki from behind and spun around on my heel to fire on a man whose throat was a ragged, gaping hole. I turned and shot another infected center mass, throwing her back toward a conveyor belt where she slammed into an uncapped piece of scaffolding. She was impaled through the chest next to her sternum and she thrashed and reached out for me as she hissed, the gore hanging off the pipe and I looked at it in horror. I took aim and shot her just under her eye, putting her lights out and she sagged on the pipe dead. The pipe bent under her weight and she slid off it with a sound that was wet and sucking.

They swarmed around the two of us, screaming and hissing with reaching hands as I continued to fire into them. Stopping only as the rifle clicked empty and I swapped out magazines and started firing into them again.

"When this is all over, I am so rethinking my career choice. Maybe finding a nice little cabin on a lake somewhere and farming." I said as Loki slammed an infected male with the butt of his rifle, wasting no time to turn it back around and shoot the man close range in the face. The main doors slammed open as Steve and Tony crashed through them, the infected turning to swarm toward the new group as I screamed and fired again.

"I will not lament your retirement. In fact, I endorse it heartily." Loki said and struggled with another infected, I knocked the woman back with a pulse of energy and shot her. Loki took in a deep breath as I pushed forward, shooting again as sweat dripped down my face and into my clothes. Steve fired as Tony tried to draw them back, playing the part of a red and gold distraction for the infected to follow as he hovered overhead and I am not ashamed to say that it worked. They swarmed after him, reaching up toward him like rabid fans at a sick concert. I probably would have laughed if I were not afraid of completely losing my mind in the process and never coming back.

I aimed at another infected, pulling in a long, slow breath as another to my side that I completely missed vaulted the conveyor belt to my right. He slammed into me and I shouted out in surprise as we both fell to the ground hard and I felt teeth clamp down in a vice like grip on my shoulder. I screamed in pain as the infected man was yanked off of me and thrown back into the mass of dead, a piece of my shirt locked in his teeth as I looked in horror at the dead man. Steve shooting him in the head before I heard Loki shouting my name from very far away. I looked up at him and saw worry cross his face as he raised his rifle at me and a tear traced down his face, waiting for me to turn and come after him.

"Do it." I said and waited as Steve tore the shirt aside to reveal the Kevlar covered shoulder of the Ballistics Vest still intact, my shoulder and life saved by the uncomfortable garment that Steve insisted that I wear. Loki let out a breath and turned the rifle to shoot another infected over Steve and looked back at me as I stood back up and collected myself. To be sure, Steve moved the vest aside on my shoulder, probing under it with his fingers as Tony and Loki continued shooting. I waited, shaking and shooting my rifle as panic edged at my brain thanks to my near miss.

"She is bruised, but the vest saved her. Mentally, I still don't know." Steve said as I snapped out of my fear induced trance and fired into the swarming infected, Loki looked briefly at Steve and then a the vest. Taking a deep breath and clapping a hand on Steve's shoulder as he fired at two infected, both of them falling to the ground as the lights permanently went out as their brains were destroyed.

"I owe you a debt for making her wear that Rogers." Loki said to him as I fired on a female and then on a man who popped up behind her.

"Jack each other off later guys, we are in the middle of a mess here." I said and I heard Steve gasp at my choice of words.

"We can call it even. For the last run we did." Steve said as our need to shoot slowed down and we picked of the last of the infected, my shoulder was a deep muscle ache that got worse with every recoil of the rifle but I continued to fire. Tears welled in my eyes as I shot the last of them and started shaking, thinking about how close I came to becoming one of them. A sobbing gasp escaped me in the new found quiet and my hands gripped the rifle so tight in my hands, my knuckles turned white as I tracked around the area for any more cautiously.

I shook as we broke off into four separate sweep teams, searching between tall pieces of machinery for any stragglers, finishing off two and shutting their lights out before they could pass the infection on. I returned to stand over the one that tried to bite me earlier and stared down at him, his eyes staring up at nothing as I slipped the strap of the gun over my head and raised the rifle silently. I then proceeded to pump one bullet after another into the corpse as I stood over him. A tear tracing down my cheek as the rifle clicked hollowly, indicating the last bullet had been shot. I let the AR-15 fall to the ground with a loud clatter and I stood for what seemed an eternity in silence when I felt something wrap around my ankle. I spun around and pulled the Desert Eagle from under my arm and emptied the magazine into the head of the crawling infected we missed because it was buried under the other bodies. I shot every bullet I had into the dead man at my feet and continued to do so as it dry fired, and the trigger clicked empty. I looked at the mess and then up at the men around me as I stood, surrounded by the infected dead.

It was still not enough to put my brain back together after what I had experienced.

Ms. Hawthorne?" Steve said and I looked up at him automatically, my breath shaky as I looked around me and then down at the gun in my hand.

"I'm better." I said, lying through my teeth and my eyes continued to dart from a corpse to a living face and then to the next, Loki stepped forward and I nodded to solidify my lie. In truth, I was never going to be the same, but now, there really was nothing that could be done about it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leonie stood over the two dead women after collecting the last of her tools, carefully wrapping the two new Ouangas in cloth and placing them into the bag. Four more were needed, but they would have to wait. The second site had been hit, leaving no more to distract SHIELD and The Avengers from her trail. In her need for haste, the third where house was left vacant, and now she had no more Zombi to infect others with at that site.

She cursed herself for making that mistake, cursing herself a second time for allowing SHIELD to find out her identity as well. It was no matter though, they still did not know where her home truly was, and that was a well kept secret.

Leonie left the two bodies in the abandoned house and hurried out onto the street, walking fast toward her battered van and opened the door with a sound of protest. The two jars of blood clinked in her bag as she carefully set it down on the floor panel between the drivers and passenger seats. She turned over the engine and headed North, leaving the humid city behind her and eventually merging onto Interstate Ten and following the route for several miles. Her thoughts focused on the next phase of her plan to possess the Sword of Dargumiin and to bring the entire planet to its knees as she drove along into the darkness, smiling to herself as she pictured in her mind the great and terrible queen she would soon be.

The cell in her jacket pocket yanked her rudely from her musings, and she angrily answered it and the highway stretched ahead of her and she inertly growled.

"What?" She hissed into the phone and turned the wheel slightly to follow a slow curve.

"Leonie it seems that your army has fallen, what ever shall you do my dear?" Stephen said, mocking her with his cool and calm voice, her hands tightened on the steering wheel in annoyance, and she fought the urge to curse at the man on the other end of the phone.

"You do not speak to me this way Stephen." She warned, a chuckle in the other end of the conversation cutting her off.

"My dear, I was only having a bit of fun. I was also very curious how close you were in achieving your goal of getting the Sword." Stephen asked and she thought seriously about ending the call at that point to show the idiot on the other end who was really in control. However, she knew she would need his support in the future, so she humored the man to keep things amicable between the two of them. This was, as it seemed, uncharted territory for her and she needed all the allies she could get.

"I need four more sacrifices, and then the blood of a God. What do you care how close I am to getting all that I want, our business was completed a while ago." She snapped and felt her irritation rise at the cold man.

"I was just curious my dear, nothing more. You should truly calm down, it is not good for someone so young to be so angry all the time. It ages you horribly, and you are a lovely woman." He replied blandly and sighed. "I also have a favor to ask you. It is small really, but would really go far in convincing me to aid you in the continuation of your cause."

She thought about his words for a long moment before answering, the may be a very good opportunity to prove that she was the one who was truly in control. A chance to force the man on the other end of the phone call to crawl on her whim, and to eventually submit to her will.

"What is it?" She asked, interested in what Stephen had to say.

"There is a woman with The Avengers, black hair, violet eyes, and extremely beautiful. Exquisite really." Stephen replied and she imagined the bastard having a hard on the this woman he spoke of, feeling disgusted by him and men in general.

"Do you want her dead?" She asked as she merged onto the off ramp toward the Atchafalaya Swamp, driving slowly through the darkness ahead of her to avoid hitting any trees or animals that may be in the road.

"No." Stephen said sharply, fear lacing his voice. "On the contrary, I would like for you to go out of your way to avoid hurting her in any way."

Leonie frowned as the paved road turned into rutted earth and she squinted ahead into the darkness, why was Stephen so worried about the we welfare of this woman? Why was he so worried about an Avenger? It was he after all, who wanted them all destroyed, starting with Tony Stark.

"I do not understand..." She started, but Stephen cut her off.

"Leonie, this woman is what my organization needs to help you keep control over the population. Every religion has their Venerated Goddess, please see the larger picture of you can. You are the priestess, but this woman is destined to become our true Madonna." He said and her eyes widened in realization as she drove into the darkness, The Four Horsemen had found their personal queen.

"I see Stephen, I can assure you my friend that she will live should she face my men." She replied coolly and turned the van off the rutted road to head down another, tendrils of Spanish Moss and Kudzu drifting over he windshield like the caress of a ghost as she drove on.

Of course she never said that she would not kill the bitch herself.

"Thank you Leonie, you have our deepest appreciation for this favor. You truly are a wise woman, and will rise to be a great Queen when you finally possess the sword." Stephen said and she smiled as he continued to sing her praises.

"I will deliver her to you myself if you want." Leonie said and she heard Stephen chuckle.

"Just let her live, we will come for her when we are ready, not a moment before. She must first be groomed to our needs my dear, she must be ready to come to us before we take her. And I plan to break this particular pony myself." Stephen replied and sighed.

"I understand." Leonie replied and turned slightly again to maneuver around a fallen tree. The son of a bitch was in love with the woman, and she smiled thinking about how much fun it would to see his face as she delivered her head to him in a velvet bag.

"Thank you again my dear, I hope we speak again soon." Stephen replied and disconnected the call, she frowned into the dark night ahead and eventually came to a stop outside an abandoned church. The windows flickered with candle light and torches lined the walkway, bathing the former House of God in an eerie glow. Two men lounged on the wooden porch, playing a card game and a woman fanned herself lazily as she sat on the weathered steps, her bare feet in the dirt as she continued to shell peas into a basket between her legs.

The entire church was weather worn and had once seen much better days, but time and the relentless swamp worked against the once proud building. Long vines of Kudzu wrapped around the steeple, the destructive vine finding all the spaces between the boards it could to slowly dismantle the building as nature reclaimed the Earth on which the building stood. Someday, the church would be only memory, a lost piece of history to everyone. But for now, it was her home.

She got out of the van, carefully lifting her bag and carried it to the building. The three people watching her approach the church, all of them silent the their respect and fear of her. The woman set her work aside and stood to take the bag from her in silent obedience, Leonie nodded her thanks to her and she carried it into the building as she sat with the two men. They returned to their card game and regarded their Bokor with the respect she demanded.

"Was your night good?" One of the men asked her and she smiled as he set his cards down and poured her a drink.

"It was Thomas. Papa Legba promised me two, and two he delivered to me." She said and looked at both men, sipping the blend of sweet tea and bourbon that was handed to her. She savored the warm, earthy taste with the delightful sweetness from the sugar and turned as the two men looked at something behind her nervously. An old man walked up to the porch and sat down on the steps where the woman who had gone inside once sat. He rested his walking stick against his leg and raised his warm, amber-brown eyes up to the stars, rubbing his dark face with a weathered hand.

"Some gratitude would be much appreciated Leonie, I have worked very hard to help you. You could say, tirelessly." The man said and stretched his linen clad legs out in front of him. From the sash tied around his waist, a large ring of old keys jingled as he moved and settled into a comfortable position. The two men immediately stopped their game and stood up to offer the old man their seats, bowing in reverence to the Loa who dismissed both of them with a casual wave of his hand.

"I am comfortable here, but I will have some of your drink. I am thirsty, and have traveled far." He said and watched as the two disciples poured him a mason jar of the bourbon spiked tea. He took the glass jar and drank deeply from it, draining the entire glass in a moment. He handed it back to the man who refilled it eagerly for the Loa. The old man licked his lips and sipped from the jar again, indicating he was pleased by the offering and smiled to himself.

"I am always grateful for your guidance Papa Legba, you have been generous to me in the past and continue to be such." Leonie said to the man as he continued to sip from the jar and looked at her.

"I have come to show you the way again tonight toward your desires, and also to deliver a message, a true warning from Baron Samedi. He says that you are overstepping your reach and if you do not return what is rightfully his, he guarantees that you will fail. Your very soul will be tortured for all time, and Baron Samedi is a man of his word." Papa Legba said to her and watched her closely, gauging her reaction but her face let nothing slip as she sat back and relaxed.

"Soon, Baron Samedi shall fear me. When I take control of the Sword of Dargumiin, I will be the one he bows to." She replied angrily, not fearing any retribution from the Loa in front of her.

"It was never meant to be possessed by a mortal being Leonie, using the blood of Loki will be a fools gamble as well. His blood is too much like Anansi, full of deceit and flowing wild and free. You would do better to use a different source for God Blood woman." Papa Legba said and took a long drink from the jar in his hands.

"Careful Papa, or I shall be forced to use your blood in my ritual." Leonie warned and finished her glass, putting it down on the table and gestured for it to be filled by one of the men.

"Do not threaten me Leonie Ezora Mentoumbo, the last person to do that still suffers tortures poorly imagined by the minds of mortal men in Guinee." He warned her, raising a finger at her to drive his point home. Her mouth dropped open in shock, and she stared at the Loa, words failing her in her sudden fear of the God.

"I am sorry Papa. The bourbon in the tea makes me brave. Please Papa, show me the next step in my journey, I beg your forgiveness and for you to continue to help me." She said, hoping that the God had not decided to abandon her when she was so very close. Papa Legba nodded and from the air, he produced two cards with names and locations written on them. Leonie rose from her seat and walked toward the Loa, reaching out to take the cards from between his fingers, but he jerked them back toward his palm to deny her. His face serious as she looked at him worried and nearly cried out at the denial.

"The path you are following can still be abandoned for a new one Leonie, you can turn away and beg the forgiveness of Baron Samedi. He may forgive you, and you will be allowed to keep your soul." He said, his warm eyes offering nothing but truth as he spoke. He offered her the cards again and she took them, cupping them in her hands like precious jewels and glanced at them before slipping them into her pocket. Legba drank the last of the tea and sighed as she returned to her seat, he watched her run the tip of her finger around the rim of her glass and nodded sadly. Knowing that she would not listen to him, but he still tried to reason with her.

"Power always comes with a price Leonie, and that price may be too high for you to bear paying. It could be a drop of blood or it could be your own soul, but the payment will come due. Everyone pays the cost, every single time." The Loa warned as he held the jar out for one of the men to take from him.

"I have already paid the price Papa." Leonie sighed, remembering the cries of her family as they died, crushed in the market after the quake. She sipped from her glass and looked at him as he looked back, staring briefly into her eyes before beginning to stand. Leaning on his walking stick, he began to say something but shook his head quietly, abandoning his thought and moving back. The keys at his waist jingled and he selected one, running his finger over it gently, a door opened in front of him.

"No child, you have not even begun to pay the price for the power you wish to gain. I have given you your guidance, and have offered you wisdom, you now have two choices but I fear you will choose the wrong one. Thank you for the drink." Papa Legba said and walked toward the door, stopping briefly before passing through it.

"Thank you Papa, I shall see you soon for the last two souls."

"The next time I come to you, will be our last meeting Leonie. That saddens me greatly, I enjoyed our conversations." The Loa said and walked through the door, it closed and vanished behind him. No trace left of the man who had come suddenly and left in a fade of gold sparks.

Leonie thought about Legba's words, the old, wise Loa who spoke to the others on her behalf. Her mind focused on the sadness in his eyes, and she felt sorrow thinking of how he said they would never speak again. When her goal was met, they would speak again. She would demand his presence in her court, he would never be able to refuse her either as she would be his Queen and obeyed by all. She sipped the tea, feeling the bourbon ignite a smoldering fire in her belly.

The two men picked up their cards and resumed playing their game as an owl called out in the distance, she took the cards out of her pocket and looked at the names and address written neatly on them. Thomas looked at her and held up the nearly empty pitcher of tea and she shook her head at the offer. He poured himself the last of the drink from the pitcher and set it aside, sighing as he ran a blue handkerchief over the back of his neck to mop up the sweat that beaded up on it.

"Papa Legba blessed us with two names, you must feel very happy now." He said and she regarded the man and stood up, walking into the church to prepare two Orangas for the two new souls she needed to collect.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I stank again of the chemicals that were used to scrub my skin and my skin itched horribly, dry from the combination of being scrubbed and sprayed with harsh soaps. I looked down at my shaking hands as I sat under the tree on the bench and watched the firemen mop up the fires that inexplicably destroyed the slaughterhouse. Fire that I started. I choked back my tears as the first rays of a new dawn faded over the world, and the sun began to rise over the horizon behind me.

Nothing was left, I made damn sure of that, and the fire covered every track I may have left in my wake to defy the government on the unofficial orders of Fury. He walked up and handed me a disposable cup of coffee and I took it from him and smelled the steam rising from it, holding it under my nose to smell something other than myself. Fury sat down next to me and I sighed sadly as we both sat and watched the firemen strip out of their gear.

"I know about the deal you were going to offer Loki and me." I said to him plainly, staring a million miles ahead of me and seeing nothing at all. The world could have ended in a flash, I would have not noticed it.

"Tony Stark could never keep a secret." Fury replied and we both watched as the boys shuffled toward the tent to be sanitized next.

"No, but he also looks out for the people he considers to be his friends." I sad and pointed at the still bruised shoulder that was slowly fading back to normal from the near bite from the infected. It stood out from my pale skin around the strap of the white tank top they had given me to wear and his eye looked at it and he sighed.

"I was told you came close, I was not fully aware how close you had come." He said and I stared at him incredulously, wanting to get some sympathy from him and not seeing it.

"Close?" I choked out and laughed, shaking my head and trying not to punch him in my annoyance at his reaction to my almost dying.

"I was almost infected, if I was not wearing that damn vest, I would be snacking on either Steve or Loki right now. Close is a huge understatement." I said and looked directly into his face, he scowled back at me as I sat forward, leaning onto my knees and sighed.

"I know this is just another trip around the sun for you Fury, that saving the world is just another day at the office for you, but this is all something that I am still new at and struggling to understand. I am still learning everything I am capable of doing, and maybe I will never fully know what I can do. But right now, I am so god damned tired of all this superhero bullshit. I didn't ask to be special, it was forced on me. And I'm still trying to come to terms with what I am.

He put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, I turned toward him and his face softened as he took in a breath and smiled at me. I looked away and watched the firemen clean up their equipment and pack it away. Tony protested loudly from the sanitation tent, and the world carried on thanks to the four of us.

"You really don't know what it takes to be me do you?" I asked him and he sighed. "My life ended two years ago, and I am still picking up the pieces of what I once was. Trying to move forward on pins and needles as I try to find my place in all this." I said and I felt his eye look at me, boring a hole through me as I struggled to keep myself together.

"It is not just another day at the office, and you never get used to it at all. You pretend to, but it still shocks you and scares you every time." Fury said and I looked back at him.

"I have faced some of the nastiest stuff out there, your boyfriend included. But this is a whole new level of nasty. I would be more worried if you both did not come here to assist us, as crazy as that sounds. And just so you know, your record has been expunged by our techs, and I appreciate you burning the remains to prevent the Government from getting a sample." He said and paused in thought, I sipped the coffee and sat back on the bench.

"It is not over yet." I said and he looked at me. "There is still one more site and we have to stop the Bokor. Then we have another target to go after, we still have to find and put an end to whoever made this virus to begin with."

"One thing at a time. That is an order." Fury said and I rolled my eyes at him. He sat back with me as I sipped my coffee and we watched the Coroners and Recovery Team cross the parking lot, a cart full of body bags for the remains to aid them in their grim work.

"It does not have to be your fight anymore." Fury said and took in a deep breath as they went into the building to collect the remains and I shook my head at his statement.

"No, but it is our fight now. We are in this too deep." I said and he looked at me. "Loki and I are the Patron Saints of Lost Causes, we don't know when to give up, and we sure as hell don't know when to quit."

Fury laughed and he tilted his head back at me, I joined him and let myself shrug as I sat back. People stared at the both of us as if we had just lost our minds as they walked by, a couple of SHIELD Agents looked at us concerned, and I wiped my nose on the back of my hand and took another drink of the coffee and cringed at the taste.

"I like you." He said and I snorted at him, and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Wait until you get to really know me, you will wish I was never born." I said and grinned, he looked down at the pavement and I debated asking him it it was all fun and games until he lost an eye, I decided against it and stretched my stiff and sore shoulder.

"You have to do a lot before I hate you." Fury said and I nodded at him. "I do question your choices though, but they are yours."

I rolled my eyes and groaned, looking up at the sky and smiled up at the cotton ball clouds as they passed over head. The storm was long over, but I had a feeling a bigger one was coming on the horizon. Just like bad days, storms followed one another with no rhyme or reason as times. I just wondered if I could withstand the wind and rain, or if I would be crushed under trees and debris.

"I filled your list, everything you need is in Stark's lab. You can call on this …."

"Papa Legba." I replied and Fury nodded at me.

"May I ask how you plan to keep Loki from stopping you?" He asked me and I rubbed the back of my neck nervously and looked at him.

"If the horse tranquilizers don't work, there is always duct tape." I said and he chuckled at me, Steve left the tent and I watched him pause and look up at the sky. I waved at him and he nodded to me as he began stomping over to the jet, he walked up the ramp and I heard Tony shout something and I tried not to picture the stiff bristled brush they scrubbed me with.

"Don't you have all kinds of magic you could use?" He asked me and I smirked as I turned to face him in my seat.

"Who needs magic when you have a perfectly good roll of duct tape?" I replied and we both laughed again.

"He is going to be mad at you." Fury said and I sighed at the revelation.

"Some bridges can only be crossed when you get to them, Loki will just have to learn to forgive me. If not, do you guys have a place I can hide out for the next thousand years?"

"I think we can find a place to hide you." Fury said and I smiled at his joke, I took another drink from the cup and shifted, growing afraid of how I was planning to abuse Loki's trust this evening and openly defy everything I believed in.

"I don't think I will need it that bad, I just want a plan B." I said and sighed. "He will forgive me when he realizes how important this all is for the case."

"Let's just hope he does." Fury replied.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12.

"Jesus Christ Tony, how much Thorazine did you actually give him!" I said, sitting on the floor next to Loki, who was breathing deeply and very much asleep. He seemed to be fine, but I was still freaked. Tony gave him a drink and he drained the first one with no problem as I pretended to be busy with a computer per the plan, and then I excused myself to vanish into my room to change. I was nearly fully dressed in the linen robe when I heard the crash and ran into the front room to see Loki flat on his back, the chair tipped over next to him and I thought he was dead. I lifted his hand at the wrist and dropped it, it slapped into his chest and I looked at Banner who shrugged at me and shook his head.

I glared at everyone as I reached behind me and pulled a pillow off the couch, and gathered the pooled linen shift around my knees and tried in a panic to feel for a pulse. I lifted his head gently and put the pillow under it, his mouth twitched and I tried not to cry at the sight. I tried not to think about the junkies I had seen overdosing, and smoothed his hair back.

"You are the one who said you did not want him waking up until long after this was over. So, I went by his weight and tripled the normal dose." Tony said and I nearly murdered him where he stood, my eyes went wide and I looked a Banner and he raised his hands to calm me down.

"I did not want you to kill him! Jesus Christ on a rubber crutch!" I shouted and gently smoothed Loki's hair back as he lay still on the ground. I watched him breathe as Bruce walked over and took his pulse, several minutes ticked by and he shook his head at me. I tried to not think about him overdosing and Bruce stood up and shrugged at me, he sat down in a chair and I wanted to call off the entire thing tonight.

"I don't think it will kill him, his pulse is strong and steady. He is just really, really deeply asleep. Who knows what his metabolic rate is at though, maybe a bad headache in the morning or he could be up and fine in a few hours. I have never had a patient that was like him before, and I am not even sure about his functions. It is all guess work here." Bruce said and I looked up at him, still worried but feeling a bit better.

"See, I told you. Bruce, while he is out, get that Kidney." Tony said and I glared at him in anger for the joke. Steve walked back into the house from setting up the Altar outside, folding the diagram I had quickly drawn up for him on a sheet of computer paper in half as he looked at the sight of Loki flat on his back. The pressed his lips together, and rolled his eyes at Tony as he groaned.

"She didn't want you to kill him." Steve said as I stood up and gestured at Steve with both hands openly.

"Exactly! And you leave his internal organs alone you asshole!" I said and let out a breath thinking and looking around. "We need to move him to the bedroom, this way he thinks he just fell asleep from drinking."

I sighed and threw my hands out and looked at all the men around me as I started to concentrate to lift him, Steve walked over and put his hand on my arm stopping me. In one fluid motion, he hefted the Norse God of Being Drugged into a dead man's carry and started down the hall, turning sideways to avoid smacking his head into the wall as he moved.

"Follow me Lilly," Steve said calmly. "I may need you to help me arrange him."

"That problem is solved, and that has to be handy for getting drunk friends home after the party." Tony said as I followed Steve and watched as he deposited the completely unconscious Loki onto the bed, I pulled his shoes off carefully and Steve helped me roll him onto his stomach and cover him with the sheet. I tucked his arm under his cheek and tried to make it look completely natural as I looked at the scene in front of me. Steve gave me a silent thumbs up, and I checked his breathing again and pressed my ear to his back between his shoulder blades to listen for his heart rate.

"He is going to kill me if he finds out what we did Steve. This is really bad." I said and looked at Steve.

"I don't think he will, but maybe you should hide behind me." I smiled up at him and tried not to shiver thinking about Loki getting mad at me. I had seen him loose his temper only a few times, and in those moments he was still collected and in control. I did not want to think about how he was going to be after this.

"Where did you learn to pick people up like that?" I asked him and he laughed softly at me.

"The Army."

"Nice, you are going to have to show me that." I said and he nodded as I smoothed Loki's hair back and looked down at him worried again.

"We can't be sure how much time we have, so we better get started." Steve said, patting my shoulder and I nodded at him as I stood up and put the white linen hood attached to the shift up, leaving long curls of my black hair trailing over my shoulders. He followed me out the door and down the hall where Tony and Bruce were waiting for the both of us. They both looked at me as I folded back the sleeves of the robe and I handed each of them a black candle, dressed with protection oil.

"Normally this ritual is performed Skyclad, but I am afraid Steve will faint." I explained and Tony raised his eyebrows at me, I lit their candles from a white one I carried carefully and prepared myself.

"Skyclad?" Steve asked and I grinned at him.

"Nude." I said and the men all looked at each other and Steve blushed. Natasha walked in and looked at us, putting her arms on her hips as she looked at us and shook her head.

"What are the four of you doing? And where is Loki?" She asked and Steve pointed down the hall, she got the idea and shook her head again. I shrugged and looked at her, flinching as some wax from the candle dripped onto my fingers. I peeled the wax off my finger and put it in my mouth to cool it and relieve the pain.

I would suck at being kinky.

"You guys just keep getting weirder, and weirder." She said and rolled her eyes. "You drugged him didn't you?"

"Maybe." I said and smiled, taking my finger out of my mouth and looking at the red spot left from the burn, already fading and becoming smooth skin again.

"If he wakes up and asks, we are playing Dungeons and Dragons, not summoning a really scary Voudou God." Tony said and she turned, leaving with a roll of her eyes.

"I really need you guys to take this seriously. If any thing at all goes wrong tonight, it could be really bad for me and all of you." I said and looked at each of them, they nodded indicating they understood.

"Papa Legba may try to make deals with you, promise you things that you want, or even try to tempt you with something else. Don't fall for it. You think Loki is bad, the temptation of Legba can cost you something very precious, even your soul." I said and Steve looked pale as Tony nodded at me silently, I then turned and walked through the door. Leading the three men out to the yard, my shift flowing in my wake and the candles fluttering.

The circle was set up perfectly to my specifications with the altar facing North, the offering plates at the ready and waiting for us. Steve had used a tree stump as the platform for the Altar itself and I put my candle in the lantern that hung on a post to the North. The guys each took a cardinal direction and put their candles into their respective lanterns that marked out the circle.

I closed the circle and picked up a dish that held a pile of red ocher and mixed it with blessed water using my fingertips and carefully used it to anoint myself for protection. I made three dots across my forehead with a fingertip, put my arm inside the shift to make an X over my heart and carefully placed a dab of the mud just below my belly button. The three men watched as I started at the center dot on my forehead and drew a line down the center of my face, over the tip of my nose and down my chin and over my throat. I approached each man in the circle and made similar lines on their faces, they were all surprisingly serious about the act.

"Lord and lady, bless this Red Brick Dust, protect us this night and keep all in this circle under your protection. As it is my will, so shall it be," I said and clapped my hands. I then lit the charcoal tab and placed it in the censer, sprinkling it with Dragons Blood Resin and wafting the incense smoke around with a raven feather to purify each of us. I began the opening of the ritual by placing the Poppet onto the Altar in the center of an offering plate, pouring some rum from a bottle I requested over the doll and put the opening to my lips, filling my mouth and spraying the alcohol into the air.

"Papa Legba, I call out to you, come to me this night and speak with me." I said and pointed to Bruce who repeated my words and followed with Steve, finally ending with Tony. An eerie silence filled the yard that everyone noticed, energy began to make the air thick around us causing the hairs on everyone's arms to stand up. Steve rubbed his arms instinctively and looked around, worried at what was happening.

"Papa Legba, accept my sacrifice of my body, come to me this night and speak with me." I said and picked up the Athame, using the ritual dagger to cut the palm of my hand open and drip blood onto the doll. A tension built in the air and the blood sizzled as it fell onto the plate. The tension thickened around us and the the smoke from the censer seemed to fill the circle in a haze, not dissipating as it normally should into the open air. Steve and Tony looked nervously at each other and Bruce closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

"Papa Legba! I command you to come into my circle, come to me this night and speak with me. As it is my will, so shall it be!" I said and a wind came up and filled the circle in a cyclone, swirling unnaturally and causing the shift to cling to my body and the haze circled me and I felt dizzy. The candles on the altar flared suddenly and the three men jumped at the sudden change. The energy built as a snake slithered over my bare feet in the grass and the men behind me shifted nervously at the sight.

"I am in the service of the God and Goddess, their will is my will. I call you forth with no fear or malice. I call you forward to speak with me this night." I said and I waited, holding my hands up to the air and looked to the sky where I saw not moon or stars, just total and complete blackness. Like someone had draped the world in a sheet of velvet and forgot to make holes for light to come through. The swirling wind whipped my hair around as I stayed calm and I heard a hum build around me as the candle flames grew and flared with the power in the circle.

"Papa Legba, hear me and come forth. Speak to me this night. As I will it, it shall be!" I shouted over the wind and the chaotic energy of the circle became suddenly, very still and very quiet. No sound carried as we stood and looked at one another. I looked at the candles and flames did not flicker in the air, the flames were perfectly still on their wicks like frozen points of light.

"Did it work?" Bruce asked and I turned around slowly and noticed that everything was frozen, like time outside of the people present had stopped briefly. I picked a leaf out of the air and held it in my hand before releasing it and it hung in the air.

"I don't know." I said and the air moved through the circle moved suddenly, the candle flames going out, all at once.

Someone laughed and I shivered as the wind changed direction and blew me from behind and the cyclone made me throw my arms up to protect my face and I cried out and everything went still again suddenly. We heard the laugh again and I turned in the absolute black, my heart pounded and tried to escape my chest like a trapped bird. I stumbled forward with my hands out in front of me, feeling for the box of matches ion the Altar and finding them as I turned back and heard the laugh come again.

I opened the box and struggled with shaking hands to light one, two of them falling from my fingers in my fear as panic clawed at my throat. I opened the box again and managed to get one lit when I looked up and saw a dark face with honey colored eyes looking back at me, he smiled as I jumped back and he blew out the match in my hand and laughed as I heard him move about in the dark. I heard something jingle as he moved and I stayed still, and stood my ground despite the terror that held me.

"A little witch, this is most interesting. But the Magick in the doll is not yours." The being in the dark said and I put my hands out to try and feel for anyone or anything. I opened the box of matches again and the candles on the Altar and in the lanterns came back up, flooding the circle and everyone in the warm light, the old man stood in the middle of us and looked to me. He put his hand up to his white beard and smiled at me as he stroked it in thought.

"Looks like it worked." Tony said and I nodded, shivering despite the warm summer evening. My face itched from the drying Brick Dust but I did not scratch at it, instead I watched the Loa cautiously as he leaned against his staff. He wore a white tunic style shirt and a pair of red linen trousers as he smiled at me, his eyes shining as he studied me closely.

"I was hoping you would summon me Little Witch." He said and looked at the bottle of rum on the Altar with longing.

"My lips are dry from the journey though." He added and I picked up the bottle and offered it to him quickly.

"Hello Papa Legba," I said, steadying my voice to hide my fear and he smiled at me. "Thank you for coming, we have many questions for you."

He took a long drink from the bottle as we stood by, he licked his lips and sighed an appreciation for the booze and took another drink. Steve watched the man cautiously, edging around the circle loser to me as Bruce and Tony looked at one another.

"I know of your questions girl, but I do not have your answers. I do however, know one who does. I will bring him here, he wishes to speak with you all. To make a deal, and perhaps you all can work together toward your goal." Legba said as he took another drink from the bottle, I looked at Tony for advice and he shrugged at me and shook his head.

This was my circus, and my monkeys unfortunately.

"Who wants to speak with us?" Steve asked for me and crossed his arms, Legba looked at him and took another drink from the bottle, licking his lips and glancing back at me.

"Baron Samedi. He has been watching you all from Guinee, and has much to offer you in advice. It is a deal that can benefit both you and he." Legba replied and looked at me gently as I shifted on my feet again. This entire situation went bad fast.

"Wait a damn second." Tony said suddenly and put his hands up. "Didn't you say this guy was really bad news?"

"I did, and I guess we have to talk to him if we want any answers at all." I said and looked down at my feet, the grass was sticking to my bare soles from the nervous sweat. I did not know how to deal with everything I was going to have to do in the next few minutes, I had completely lost control of this entire situation and I messed everything up. There was no turning back at this point though, we had to press on.

"I really don't like this Princess. I don't want you getting hurt or anything. What if this guy makes you give up something?" Tony said and I shook my head.

"No deals, that is my condition. I will not gamble with lives or souls." The air got cold suddenly and I shivered.

"He will not be offended if you refuse to see him, he merely wishes for you to succeed in your task." Legba said and took another long drink. How this guy was not hammered, I do not know.

"It is your choice as always Little Witch." He finished and I weighed my options and looked a Tony nervously.

"Your choice Princess, you are running the show." Tony said and I looked at Bruce and Steve. They both nodded and I sighed as I thought for a few minutes more.

"Bring him please, but warn him before he arrives that we will make no deals with him. We choose to do this of our own free will, and will not sell our souls to him for any reason." I said firmly and Papa Legba nodded at me and smiled. He shuffled through the ring of antique looking keys tied to his red sash and selected one, holding it up as he regarded me.

"He will come, may you not regret this." Legba said and I nearly stopped him when he ran his thumb smoothly over the key and a doorway opened in front of us. I smelled sulfur and a disgusting sweetness that made me gag as a tall, thin man carrying a cane walked through the opening and looked at all of us. He tipped his high top hat at me, and the door closed behind him. Removing the cigar from his lips he gave me a polite bow, his red eyes standing out as a stark contrast to the white skull painted on his face. I nodded to the man as he straightened his back and brushed the ashes that had fallen onto his black suit away.

He reached out for me and I shrank back instinctively. He smiled, knowing that I was afraid, and he looked at me as if I were a pawn in his game. He was an Apex Predator, and I was the prey in his cave.

"Lilliana Hawthorne," Baron Samedi said in a smooth voice. "I have hoped we would talk soon. You fascinate me, the strong willed girl who wishes to save the world. A very strange creature too, one who seeks no reward for it. Your father was very wrong about you."

I flinched at the mention of my father outwardly and took a step back from him. He took a long draw from his cigar and studied me for a long moment.

"You seem to know me better than I know myself. I stand and let my integrity be my greatest factor. I don't want promises, I want only truth Baron Samedi. Leave my father out of this, he nearly killed me as a child." I said and he looked at the rest of the men in the circle, sizing them up. He tapped his ebony wood cane on the ground and tossed it up with one hand and pointed it at me with the silver handle shaped like a skull.

"You girl, are not so precious that you can challenge me. You think yourself immortal, and equal to the beings you dwell among. But you are in insect compared to them, your power is fleeting and can be lost in the blink of an eye. Snatched from you like leaves from a tree in a storm. How is that for your truth?" He said to me and poked me in the chest with the cane. I swallowed hard and he looked at me, I gestured Steve to stay put and I formed a ball of fire in my hand to my side.

"I am not afraid of you. And I am more than you are, I choose to be magnanimous, do not make me rescind my promise. You can't touch me, and you know it." I challenged the God and he smiled at me and laughed openly.

"A girl unafraid of me. Interesting." He said and rested his cane over his shoulder as he shook his head.

"A lost cause with nothing left to loose." I corrected him and he looked around the circle, and laughed.

"You have so much to loose girl. So very much." Samedi said and took a puff of his cigar, studying me and he smiled at me. It was a smile laced in screams.

""I like you girl." Samedi said and blew out a smoke ring. "There are few like you, everyone wants something, they hand me their souls willingly to get it, but not you. You are not so lost that you cannot be found, look into yourself and you will have the truth there."

"I may do that someday, but now I have your respect. I don't know if I should be afraid or proud."

"Pride is not in your nature strange girl." The Baron said, and looked at Tony. "Everyone in this circle knows this, you would stay in shadow rather than set foot in the sun where you belong. To wear your true mantle and claim all that is yours, you will come to realize it however. And it will rip everything from you that you care about in the end."

"A challenge to change?" I asked him and he smiled at me.

"A push down the proper path. Your life is not yet at the crossroads, but you will be there soon. You will have to choose a path among many, one will be lonely and will lead to suffering, and the other will be glorious." I thought about what the Baron had said and I looked at him and shrugged.

"You do not believe me Lilliana? You are truth, and do not yet realize that." He said and pointed at me with his cigar, a spider crawled along the band of his hat and he regarded me wit suspicion.

"I am strange that way." I said and shrugged again. "You know what questions I have, will you answer them? We may not have much time left before the real trouble starts."

"I will, but first I want a promise from you, not a deal. A promise, nothing more." He said and I looked from him to Papa Legba suspicious as to his statement.

"What is it. And I will make no deals." I said holding a finger up in warning.

"You will destroy the Dargumiin." He said and I jerked back a bit at his words, unsure of what he wanted me to do. I looked at Tony and he nodded at me, my curiosity got the better of me though.

"Why?" I asked and the Baron smiled at me.

"No being should be allowed to wield that much power, promise to destroy it and I will drag Leonie's soul to Guinee where I will punish her for the souls I have been denied by her. I will spill her blood for the innocence she has ruined in her quest, and teach her the word suffering." He said and puffed his cigar. A cold wind wrapped around me in the dark circle with his words and I shivered.

I sighed and looked at Tony and then at Steve, both of them nodded quietly and I looked at Legba who took another drink from the bottle and smiled. I fought the urge to scratch at the back of my hand as I thought about the promise I was about to make, and I closed my eyes. He tapped his cane on the ground again and leaned against it, crossing one foot over the other casually. I could see why people handed over their souls to him.

"What happens if I fail? What if I can't destroy it?" I said and the Baron straightened and gestured at me with his cane, Judging me as I stood quietly and studied him in return. The silent standoff lasted seconds, but seemed an eternity.

"Nothing. It is not a bargain, but a promise to try. If Leonie is allowed to posses this power, she will kill us all, including the one you care so much for." He said and looked over my shoulder toward the house. I jerked around and saw nothing behind me, and he chuckled knowing that he had made me worry.

"You know I will not let that happen." I said to The Baron and he smiled at all of us.

"I know that, and this is why you will do everything you can to destroy the Dargumiin." He said and took a long pull from his cigar as he watched me.

"Can it even be destroyed?" Tony asked and the Baron looked at him. Smiling and making the painted death's mask all the more frightening as he looked at the man behind him.

"Everything that is created can be destroyed," The Baron said to him. "You only need to find the key to that destruction."

I looked around me as a cold wind blew through the circle again and shivered again. I was running out of options and I sighed, I was pretty aware that everyone also knew that time was also running short for us as well. I was so very tired, the last few days were a constant living nightmare that would not end. Two fronts to fight, and not many chances that we would make it through intact.

I wondered to myself how long I would carry the mental scars of the last few days, or if I would ever recover from them at all. I looked at The Baron and nodded.

"You say that like you know how to kill me." I said and smiled sadly at him and he smiled at me.

"Everything that is born can die eventually, there is no truer statement. You can fall, but you are lucky to be so protected." He said and Legba nodded.

"Will I die?" I challenged him and he smiled at me.

"No one cheats me girl, not even you. Someday, you will open your eyes and I will be there. Ready to pluck your soul from your body, like a flower from a stem." He said and Tony's mouth fell open and I looked at him.

"I hope it is not too soon." I said and Baron Samedi began to circle me, a shark smelling blood in the water and I looked at him as he walked.

"Your heart is strong girl, it is all you need. Your destiny has a much longer road to go." He replied and I let out a breath as he continued to circle me. Steve made a gesture with his hand and I circled him back, both of us locking eyes, life and death in a tentative cosmic dance.

"How long before she has everything she needs to summon the Dargumiin?" I asked the the Baron and I both stopped moving. The storm that was us becoming a battle of wills.

"Four days," He said and held up his fingers. "She needs four more souls and she will be able to bring it forth from my land of the dead."

I nodded at him and he flinched at my lack of fear.

"Looks like we better start researching how to destroy it without killing ourselves in the process then. Unless you want to give us a hint." I sighed and everyone in the circle nodded. I turned back to him and pulled the power back to my court, Baron Samedi blinked at me in surprise.

"We will do our best to fulfill our promise Baron, now can you tell us where Leonie is?" Steve said and we all looked at him shocked, the Baron nodded and extended his fingers. A card appeared between two of them and he handed it to Steve over his shoulder with a flourish. Steve took the card carefully and looked at it briefly before handing it to Tony who looked down at the information.

I continued to stare down The Baron, and he showed no fear back as he smiled at me and pointed the head of his cane at me again.

"Your arrogance will lead you down a dangerous path girl. Anansi should have taught you that, look too closely to the sun and you will burn." Samedi said to me and I crossed my arms. I tried to not show how scared I was and he laughed loudly at my attempt to not look afraid. I was playing with powers beyond my capabilities.

"I came to peace with myself a long time ago. I chose my path, and I stay on it Baron." I said and he nodded at me.

"There is one more thing." The baron said and he puffed at his cigar thoughtfully. "What will you do if you cannot destroy the Dargumiin? I wish to know, because if it were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous for all of creation. As well as everything beyond."

"I will find a way to destroy it," I said. "But if I can't, I will bury it somewhere no one will ever find it."

He nodded again to me and smiled as he looked up at the dark night.

"It takes a great deal of power of hide the stars and the moon. To cover the land in darkness infinite." The Baron said and returned his red eyes to me.

"I thought you did that." I said to Legba and the Baron laughed.

"No Little Witch, it was you who did that when you called us. Your will is the strongest I have ever encountered. And you have a fearsome storm in you that will need to be tempered before it destroys you." Legba said and I shivered, confused how I could do that.

"Stop stalling us." I said and both Gods looked at me, Baron Samedi laughed and I flinched.

"I like you girl, you have a spirit that burns brightly." Samedi said and gestured toward me with his cigar. "I can see why Anansi was drawn to you, like a moth to a brighter flame. But be warned, even the brightest flames can be put out."

I nodded at him and put my hand out to him. He took it in his, closing his cold, dark fingers over my pale, warm digits. Life held hands with death for a brief moment and we looked into the infinity of the void beyond, the universe shifted at the contact and I knew what my path held before me.

"You now know what you are girl." Baron Samedi said and I nodded.

"Thank you for your help Baron Samedi and Papa Legba." I said, breaking the moment. "I will destroy the poppet in gratitude, you may leave the circle as you wish." I said and Papa Legba ran his thumb along the key and another door opened, allowing both of the Gods to step through and out of our world. Tony handed me the card and I looked at it and nodded, recognizing the numbers printed on it as GPS coordinates. I used a bit of fire to burn the poppet on the offering plate as I had promised Papa Legba. I handed the card back to Tony and sighed in thought, releasing the ritual and the power as the stars and moon came back into the sky one at a time.

We had one more where house, an unknown source of a virus, and the Dargumiin to destroy, this road was getting longer and more forks were opening up in front of us as we kept walking. Steve started walking toward the house, but I caught him by the arm and stopped him before he got too far.

"I have to open the circle first, and then we have to ground ourselves. Otherwise we have not properly ended the ritual. It could blow up in our faces if we don't." I said and he nodded, frowning as he looked over my head and I turned to see Loki glaring at me. My heart sank into the ground, and I tried not to yelp.

"Oh shit." Tony said and he glared at him, crossing his arms.

"I would say it has blown up in your face already." Loki said and I looked down at the grass in shame at being caught.

"Loki, I..." I started and he put up a hand to stop me before I could continue, he looked at me and then at each of the men. I nearly cried when he opened my circle for me with a wave of his hand, the energy leaving suddenly and causing my head to hurt at the sudden dissipation. I flinched in pain and yelped as he walked forward and I looked around for a place to hide,

"I told you not to meddle in this. I warned you, and you openly defied me." He hissed at me and I backed away from him as he stepped forward and looked at everyone present.

"And you let her do it! Three men, and not one bit of reason or caring for the danger you let her put herself in!" Loki shouted as us and I shook, trying not to say anything stupid that could escalate the situation. Trying not to also say anything I would regret later. He was loosing control over his composure, and his eyes flashed red, his skin turned blue and I tried not to be afraid.

"We needed answers, she got them for us. Nothing more." Bruce said and I nodded in agreement. Loki glared at him and I swear I saw his eyes turn red again as he glared at me.

"I do not wish to hear anything from you, my quarrel is with her." He said and I took another step back, I had never seen him this angry before and it terrified me. I trembled and my nervous twitch of scratching my hand came out. Loki noticed it and rolled his eyes as he looked at my hands.

"Stop scratching your hand!" He screamed into my face and I yelped as the altar behind me cleared suddenly, candles and the offering plates scattering across the grass. I cringed away from him in fear, and he continued forward. Steve put an arm up between me and Loki and I backed away more to give myself space as Steve stepped in between us.

"Don't." I begged Steve and he looked at me over his shoulder but did not back down.

"Nothing went wrong, we got our answers, she got them for us. It was the only way to end all of this before it got out of hand. Now, before someone gets hurt, go cool off Loki. Lilly is fine." Steve said and I nervously scratched at my hand in the darkness.

Loki looked at me and rolled his eyes.

"Nothing went wrong, now that is truly amusing. Tell me Lilliana, what deal was struck for this needed information? What did you sacrifice for this pathetic little realm? What did you loose to protect these crawling creatures?" Loki spat at me and I blinked back tears, his arrogance growing by each second along with his anger. I backed against the stump and braced against it as I tried not to scream at him.

"When will you learn to listen to the reason you preach so freely, when will you understand how beneath you and I these pathetic beings are and continue to be?" He hissed and I couldn't find any words, my brain was completely numb and hearing him call everything I came from, was born and grew up among pathetic ripped me to pieces.

"I," I started, but could not finish.

"Say it Lilliana." Loki challenged me and a tear burned down my cheek in the candle light.

"I am Midgardian." I said and he looked at me. Deflated, his mouth falling open in shock and realization and I gasped.

"I was born on this planet, how easy it was for you to forget that. So I must be one of these pathetic beings that is so far beneath you." I said and watched him as he looked down. "I don't think you will ever understand that, I am not a thing!"

Tears sprang out of my eyes and I wiped my face on the sleeve of the robe as I stood there, small and diminished in his eyes as he glared down at me over Steve's arm.

"I was born on this planet, and now...I...I just can't" I sobbed into my hands and ran toward the house, pushing past Tony and heard Bruce call my name.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I sat in the lab, showered and wearing a pair of jeans and an over sized hoodie that I randomly found over my SHIELD t-shirt. I tapped at the computer as I watched the screen flicker, one foot up in the seat of the chair and the other swinging the chair back and forth. Tony walked in, he gave me a sad smile and held up two cups of coffee, I sighed and waved him over. He sat down next to me and I stared at the monitors in front of me, I hit a few commands and Minecraft continued to run as I dug for resources. He handed me one of the cups and I took it and smiled into the black drink and sipped from the mug.

"Nice to see that all this server space is going to something very important." He said and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Friday is searching for my key words, it should take about four or five hours. I already sent off a full report to Fury about the information we got from Samedi using your email. Someone named Pepper reminded you that her Birthday is coming up, I ordered her a nice gift of a new gold watch that will be engraved with something romantic and sappy. From you of course. And I am building a replica of Buckingham Palace in Minecraft while I wait for the search results to come back." I said and shifted in the chair, tugging the waistband of my jeans under the over sized black hoodie to get more comfortable. Tony nodded and looked at the screens as I leaned back in the chair, the house around us coming to life with the morning.

"Did you even attempt to sleep?" He asked me and I snorted at the question and gestured to the two empty Redbull cans on the desk in front of me.

"It doesn't really matter." I said and laughed bitterly, my head pounding from crying as I sipped from the mug of coffee. I reached over and opened a desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of aspirin, tapping a few more commands as I collected the found items and adding them to my inventory. I opened the bottle and chewed three tablets and washed down the nasty tasting mess with another drink of coffee.

"It does actually. We need you mentally Princess." Tony said and looked at me. "You know, you really shouldn't believe anything angry people say, emotions suck that way. The make you say and do stuff you really don't mean."

I looked at him and felt more tears prickle the edges of my vision, he handed me another tissue and I set the mug down and buried my face in it. Pulling myself together quickly and blowing my nose.

"What if he did mean it Tony, what if the last two years has been nothing but a lie? How can anyone say something like that after claiming to care about me, my heart has been ripped out and stomped on. He doesn't even care, he is probably asleep somewhere." I said and Tony put a hand on my arm as he looked at me seriously. I stopped and followed his eyes. Loki stood in the doorway, I took a deep breath and collected myself, clearing my throat and looked back at the screens in front of me.

"I ran a search on the GPS coordinates that Baron Samedi gave us last night, they point to a protected swamp in Lousiana called the Atchafalaya Swamp. I hijacked a SHIELD satellite, programming it to do a flyover and photograph the area so we can see what is actually there. I should have that in about eight hours, too bad I can't speed up the orbit of the Earth." I said and ignored the asshole behind me as a hand pressed down on the back of my chair. My shoulders tightened at the closeness, but I refused to turn around.

"The search showed that particular spot to be empty, but I saw some access roads from the Google Sattelite image I found, there is no telling if they moved in a temporary shelter or something else. I will print off some maps of the roads and some possible game trails for you guys. I need to run a few more searches and I hopefully will have more soon." I said and entered another command into Minecraft, and smiled at Tony. He looked back at me and I put the hood of the sweater up as I started building another wing of my castle as I opened the browser and started running another search.

Tension filled the room, and I managed to ignore it because I felt it was coming from me.

"I could use another Redbull, and maybe some speed. I sent off an email to the Curator of the Cairo Museum, and he said he would get back to Mr. Stark with the information you requested on the Dargumiin." I said and he shook his head.

"Well, it looks like you did my job for me." Tony said and stood up, taking my empty mug from my hands. "Think about what I said, and try to get some sleep."

He moved past Loki and I rolled my eyes, and groaned.

"Not going to happen, Buckingham Palace needs to be built, and we need more information before time runs out. We only have four more days." I shot back at him, annoyed that Loki was not taking the hint and leaving me to work.

"What is there left to do Princess?" He asked me and I shrugged as I cracked another Red Bull.

"My entire West Wing needs to be built, and I may find something to occupy myself research wise." I said as Tony rolled his eyes at me and flicked his eyes up to Loki.

"Take him with you." I mouthed to him and groaned as I turned of Florence and the Machine on the computer and settled back into the chair.

"Give me another six hours, at least then I will be sure that an overzealous Agent has not realized that their satellite is off course." I said and shrugged. Tony left the lab and I returned to the screens and watched them flicker in front of me. Loki sat in Tony's vacant seat, his eyes searching the side of my face. I leaned forward and entered more commands into the computer and leaned back into the chair. Ignoring him I dug through the drawer in front of me for a set of headphones. Bruce walked into the lab, looked at the two of us and backed out again. I slammed the drawer shut as I drained a can of Redbull and continued to work.

"Go away." I said and he stayed in the seat, ignoring my command. I continued working and switched back over to my game, entering commands into it and collecting resources as I sat back and rubbed my face.

"What the holy fuck do you want." I said and slammed the drawer shut, not finding any headphones and wanting to make him go away. I turned in my seat and glared at him. "I am not sorry, I did what I had to do. I will not be made to feel like I did something so horribly wrong in your eyes, not after what you said to me. I am too tired of being made to feel like I am worthless by everyone, and even angrier that it came from you. I am also too god damned busy to care about you or what you think right now."

"Will you accept an apology from me?" He asked me and I pressed my lips together and his hand reached out for mine, I pulled my hand away and he closed his and pulled it back.

"I don't know." I said and tapped on the keyboard silently, remaining stubborn.

"You need sleep Little Mouse." He said and I turned in my chair and faced him. I looked into his eyes and laughed.

"You so do not get to say that to me right now, not after what you said last night. You have not one shred of right to say that to me, or anything else for that matter." I shot at him and turned back to my game. "Don't like it, there is the damn door. Don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out."

"I am sorry for what I said to you last night." He said and I rolled my eyes. I was not going to give him the satisfaction of saying anything more, he sat back and looked at the screen as I continued my game. The computer pinged and I opened Tony's email to see it was a message from Fury about the satellite I hijacked. I responded to it, telling him it was me and that I would return it to it's regular orbit when I was done using it. He would not be too happy, but I needed a better image than what Google would give me.

"Will you hear reason then?" He asked me and I sighed in annoyance as I turned toward him.

"I will." I said and looked at him. "But only if you can accept that I am my own person. You can't protect me against everything out there, and I have to fight my own battles. I will get hurt, can't accept any of that? Get over it and move on."

Loki regarded me and pressed his thin lips together, raising his eyebrows at me and I turned back to the game. I hoped he would be reasonable, but the silence between us became deafening. I tapped out a few more commands, and tried my best to not scream at him. Smack him around and tell him he was throwing us away because of his stupid arrogance.

"I can accept that." He said and took my hand in his. "I will also not let you face the dangers alone if you will allow me to be there."

"Why did you say all that then?" I asked him and he looked down. I tried to pull my hand back, but he held it fast. Frowning down at the red spot that I had scratched in the back of it.

"I was angry, and scared. I have lost others that I have cared for, and the thought of you throwing yourself and your life away terrified me. I cannot face loosing another." He said and touched the sore on my hand. I sat back and looked into his eyes and saw the fear in them and let out a breath, not knowing what to say so I said nothing. He kissed my knuckles and held the back of my hand to his cheek.

"I am sorry, you are not pathetic or beneath me." He said and I extended two of my fingers and touched his face with the back of them. I tried to fight the exhausted yawn and won, letting him continue to hold my hand. His eyes looked sad, and I knew that he was thinking about Frigga. He blamed himself for her, despite my telling him he could not have prevented it. I turned my chair to him and pulled him close to me, holding onto him tightly. Feeling him stiffen and his arms wrapped around my back as I buried my nose into his neck as let out the yawn that won.

"I accept the apology, don't do it again." I said and he sighed into my hair as his other arm wrapped around me.

"I'm sorry I drugged you too" I said as an afterthought, and he snorted into my neck. He pushed me back gently and looked into my face.

"I truly am glad you were born, it matters not to me the nature of your birth. It only matters that it occurred." he said and I smiled at him, he kissed me and I melted. Letting the last few days fall off of me and I sighed as he pulled away.

"I thought I lost you when that creature bit you. And I thought I lost you again last night." He said and I stopped him from talking as I looked down at his hands and took them into mine.

"Maybe after this, I am seriously going put thought into to quitting trying to save the world. The bad dreams alone are not worth it." I said as he pulled me into his lap from my chair and picked me up.

"I have only one plan for you now, and it is an agreement with Stark on a singular matter."

"What are you doing jerk?" I asked him, and he started walking me out of the room. Exhaustion took over and my whole body felt like it weighed a million pounds.

"You said that you had several hours before that machine finished the work you set it to do." He said and I nodded as he turned sideways to walk through the door to the lab, Bruce watched him walk me out of the lab and grinned at us.

"Yeah, so? I also want to finish building Buckingham Palace." I said and he sighed at me.

"You are getting some sleep. Your imaginary castle can wait." he commanded as I groaned and he continued walking down the hall to the room that I was using and put me down on the bed. He pulled the covers up over me and settled himself on his side next to the wall behind me as he grabbed the bear off the chair and tucked it into my arms. I drifted peacefully for several minutes as he hummed some melody behind me before my eyes closed and I fell into dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The scream tore through the house and jerked him awake suddenly.

At first, he thought he was dreaming and took a moment to shake the sleep that fogged his brain off and looked around himself as he settled back into the pillow. His eyebrows knotted when he looked over as a toy bear laying next to him, it was such a curious object to him and he looked at the glass eyes of it as they shone back at him. Loki rubbed his face as he picked up the toy and another scream jerked his head up. He sat upright and twisted about looking for Lilliana in the room around him and saw no one with him.

His mind edged on panic as he jumped out of the bed and ran down the hall, nearly crashing into Banner as Rogers joined in the running toward the source of the distressing screams. They all stopped and stood, when another cry for help tore through the house from the hall bathroom.

"Lilliana!" Loki called out as the three men tried the door and found it locked. Something fell in the room and crashed and Steve gestured everyone back from the door and gave a good kick, splintering the door frame as Banner and he looked in to see her perched on the counter. Pointing into the corner opposite her near the walk in shower, a small eight legged creature crawling away from her.

"It ran over my bare foot! Kill it!" she screamed at the three men and pointed again at the black thing.

"Oh man." Banner said and let out a very long breath to relieve his stress. "I thought you were being murdered in here."

He rested his head against the broken door frame, breathing off his stress further. Loki looked from her to the creature and back at Lilliana, she pointed at it again and waved her finger at it from her perch.

"Kill it. Please!" She shouted and Rogers stepped forward and rolled his eyes at her.

"It is just a spider Lilly, you are a million times bigger than it." He said and she widened her eyes as it moved back toward her perch on the counter, and she pressed herself back against the mirror.

"I don't care. It ran over my foot while I was peeing, kill it. Kill it with fire!" She yelled at him and Loki sighed, walking over to the offending creature and crushed it under his boot. He looked back at her and rolled his eyes as she clapped her hands at him.

"There, better now?" Loki asked her and she nodded and looked at everyone in the bathroom around her.

"I really did not expect this big of a response." She said and flushed with embarrassment, Loki put his hand out to help her down from the counter and she hesitated for a brief moment.

"Don't scream that way, and you will not receive one such as this Little Mouse." He said and she looked at the floor before and around the counter.

"What if there are more?" She asked and he joined her in looking around the floor for any more spiders. Stark poked his head around the door and looked in, chewing on a carrot stick as he took in the scene.

"I heard screaming. Is this a weird sex thing?" He asked and Loki rolled his eyes as Lilliana groaned at him in response.

"Spider." Banner replied and Stark cringed and made a sound to show he found them just as unpleasant, Rogers walked out of the bathroom and down the hall sighing to himself as Stark took another bite of his snack. Loki put his hand out to help her down off the counter again as she slipped down onto her butt and scooted toward the edge of the tiled surface.

"I hate those things. Just a heads up, Thor is here with some really big blue guy, and your search on the internet is complete." Stark said and sighed. "If no one is dying in here beyond that spider, I will be entertaining."

Loki froze and put his hand on Lilliana's shoulder, tensing at Stark's words and felt a renewed panic run through him. She sat calmly and patted his hand as she slipped down from the counter onto her feet , mistaking his gesture for assistance. She stood on the floor gingerly and rubbed her face as Banner watched them both.

"I should go see what Friday found. Is there any coffee Bruce?" She said and looked over at Banner. He nodded at her politely and she looked up at him. Concern crossed her face as he stood in frozen panic and she reached out and shook his arm gently, his head turned automatically as he looked down at her.

She had seen what he was, and not been afraid of him. But how would she react at seeing his brother a full blooded Frost Giant? Would she fear him after that? Would she be driven away from him in fear by seeing his brother? How could Thor have done this to him?

"Loki? What's wrong?" Lilliana asked him and he blinked at her. He shook his head as she stepped up on her toes and danced a bit and looked down at her feet.

"How did the floor get so cold suddenly?" She asked and she hopped a bit as she tried to keep her feet from sticking to the tile under her feet. The temperature of the room dropped perceptibly and she crossed her arms as Loki lifted her up to protect her feet from the sudden cold under them. She shivered in the cold, and her breath came out as vapor as Banner stepped backwards into the room, gaping at something in the hall.

Slowly a large blue hand snaked around the door frame and a nine foot tall Frost Giant looked into the room, ducking his head slightly to look in the room at the three of them. She continued to shiver, and she huddled closer to any source of warmth she could find as the giant looked at the small woman and smiled at her.

"Hello Tilgun." Loki said and Banner pointed at the newcomer as he ducked through the door and the Giant realized he had made the others in the room uncomfortable.

"Loki." The Frost Giant said and looked at the shivering beings in the room, Loki was unaffected by the cold.

"This is her?" He asked as Lilliana looked at him and shivered again.

"Yes, this is Lilliana. If you don't mind, she is freezing." Loki said and sighed.

"She is shorter than you described, but just as attractive." Tilgun said in a deep voice and pulled the cold out of the area and the room instantly warmed again. Loki felt her touch his hand, and she wiggled to be put down and he complied as she looked at the Frost Giant with the same curiosity that she looked at him with two years ago.

No fear or revulsion, just interest and a mind now filled with questions as she looked back up at Loki.

"You told your half brother about me?" She said and smiled at him and he blinked at her. "You told him I was pretty?"

She blushed and waved at Tilgun and giving the giant a half smile. As she stepped forward but Loki pulled her back gently, hoping she would not do anything rash.

"I did." Loki said and regarded his brother who continued to look in the room at them, his body blocking the door way and he looked at the beings inside.

"Hi." Banner said to Tilgun and he nodded. Lilliana edged toward the doorway and looked up at Tilgun as she smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you." She said and offered her hand to say hello, but Tilgun regarded it and looked down at the girl in front of him. Loki watched her reaction as Tilgun gave her room to walk through the door and she looked up at him patiently, slipping the before offered hand into her pants pocket. The Frost Giant stood up at full height and looked down at her as she frowned.

"Did I offend you?" She asked and Tilgun laughed a bit at her.

"No, I am just very cold." He replied and she smiled up at him, understanding the reason for not accepting her hand.

"Oh, that explains what happened there just now." She said and she looked back at Loki, grinning and openly curious.

"Are you uncomfortable in this climate?" She asked him and Loki jerked back in surprise at her genuine compassion for Tilgun's well being and the Frost Giant smiled at Loki, laughing at her question.

"Only a bit." He said to her and she smiled and nodded as she rubbed her face and looked up at the Giant.

"Bruce, you going to let Thor in on everything? I am going to go hunt the wily coffee beast and see what Friday found on destroying the Dargumiin."

She turned and walked down the hall barefoot toward the lab and paused suddenly, changing her direction to head for the kitchens instead. She walked through the door and out of sight as the three men regarded one another. Banner openly stared up at the Frost Giant and shook his head in awe of the newcomers size. Tilgun looked down at the two of them and Banner shrugged at the confusion displayed on the Giants face.

"She is probably needing a coffee fix." Banner said and the three of them looked down the hall again as she emerged from the kitchen with a mug in one hand and a plate of small sandwiches on the other. She juggled her load for a moment and sighed at the door, trying to use her hip to press the access button mounted on the wall.

"I believe she would say that you nailed it Banner." Loki sighed as she kicked the door with her heel for admittance and Tony opened it. She walked in past him, and the clear shouts of her yelling a Thor floated down the hall.

"Damnit Thor! It took me hours to get that far in my game. What the hell did you do? Get away from my work station! Why the hell is this sticky..." She said as the door closed with a hiss, cutting off her shouting.

"I can see why you like her." Tilgun said as all three men walked toward the lab and looked in at Lilliana throwing a towel at Thor followed by a sandwich.

"She has other wonderful qualities as well Tilgun." Loki said and chuckled to himself as she threw an empty drink can at Thor who ducked.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13.

We were all back in the conference room and I was nursing my fourth cup of coffee, I was starting to feel less and less like a perpetually exhausted tree sloth as the caffeine did it's thing. I had one foot up in the seat of the chair as I swiveled back and forth idly, studying the contents of the cup in my hands like the dregs held the secret truth of the universe. Maybe I was looking for truth in it, maybe I was looking for an answer. Loki sat back and shifted a bit as we all looked at the building plans for the third where house that was located in the heart of a Florida business district. Tilgun sat on the floor with his legs crossed and his arms on the table, tapping the surface quietly as he looked at the screen. Thor looked at all of us cautiously, disbelief randomly crossing his face as he looked at everyone in the packed room.

Bruce filled both Thor and Tilgun in on what we were facing, and our ultimate endgame.

Thor took it pretty well.

"Three floors, three teams," Fury said as we listened. "This one has to be very controlled, there are factories nearby and they will most likely be occupied. However, I want every trace of this virus destroyed. Just like the last two times, leave nothing behind. And I mean nothing."

I nodded and Fury looked at me and gestured for me to take the floor, he sat down in a vacant chair and crossed his legs as I set my mug down and collected my thoughts. I stood up and nervously scratched my hand, walking over to the keyboard and typing in the commands for the information I found. I was terrible at public speaking and did not know exactly where to start at. Loki cleared his throat and I looked at him to see him mimicking my nervous tic. I gave him a very subtle middle finger back and he snorted in amusement at my response.

"I had Friday run a search on the Dargumiin, and found nothing on how to destroy it in modern versions of the legend. But, I did find a translation of an Akkadian Tablet written in Cuniform dating back to the thirty-sixth century B.C. It held the complete legend of the weapon, and it was it one of the most intact relics we have from the time frame. An exciting find really." I said and displayed a photograph of the tablet on the monitor behind me, Tilgun shifted and glanced at Loki. They both shared a nod and their faces returned to me. Loki leaned forward to look at the tablet and frowned.

"A strange relic, can you read it?" Loki asked me and I shook my head.

"No. This language has not been written on this planet for a millennia. It is actually an example of the first written language." I replied and he returned to studying the clay tablet over my head.

"Great." Tony said sarcastically. "You found an ancient tablet no one could read, bravo Princess. Ten points from Griffindor."

I shifted quietly and looked down, unsure of where this sudden attitude toward me was coming from. I became utterly annoyed with him and pressed my lips together, both Tilgun and Loki glared at Tony. Steve turned in his seat and shot him a look of complete annoyance.

"Stark. Shut up." Fury said and looked back at me. "Please continue Ms. Hawthorne."

Everyone turned back to me and I nodded, taking in a deep breath. I let it out to steady myself and to keep my nerves from showing, no sense in loosing my mind in front of everyone. Thor scanned the tablet image and arched his eyebrows at me.

"What does it say Lady?" Thor asked me helpfully and smiled.

"I ran it through a translation program that I wrote while bored and waiting for Friday to come back with the research. Friday is now able to translate fifteen ancient languages by the way. I wrote it mostly...well, because the translation the Cairo Museum sent with it was...Horrible. The entire legend stated the the Darragumiin is not really a sword, but a Crucible of sorts. A forge for life and death in tandem with the other elements, that creates and destroys at the will of the person who possess it." I said and pointed at the passage that described the weapon in detail.

"The word Dargumiin is Sumerian in origin and literally translated to "Holder of Souls". It is a container for the souls of the Gods and Goddesses. Which is why it is seen as a weapon, it can be used to summon, and control all of the Gods, and even kill them. Which is why Baron Samedi wants it destroyed so bad, whoever holds it can command all the Gods and Goddesses to do their bidding." I paused and looked around the room as Thor glared at me and frowned. Loki raised his eyebrows in concern and Steve crossed his arms in thought.

"Is there anything on how to destroy this thing?" Steve asked and I sighed, hesitating and not really wanting to get picked on again by Tony, who was sitting back and rolling his eyes at me.

"Yes and no." I said and Tony sighed at me. I ignored him and went on with my line of thought.

"The tablet talks about how it takes a great force to strike the Dargumiin, making it fracture. Essentially destroying the vessel and releasing all the souls in it. But it does not say what the force is exactly."

"We could hit it with an RPG, and that could be what destroys it, or it could just bounce the kinetic energy off it and hurt us. It could be that Thor just hits it really hard and it breaks, I really need more time to figure that part out. I set up Friday with the search parameters, it should be complete in about four hours." Fury looked at me and I glanced at Tony. He looked bored and like he was about to fall asleep, I looked down at my feet, and thought about how I should have tried harder to find more information.

"Please keep us informed as to what you find." Fury said and I nodded back at him.

"I have more, there is a ritual Leonie will have to perform. If we interrupt it, maybe she will not be able to summon the Dargumiin, my contact at the Cairo Museum is going to copy the text and send it to me. We could plan around that, or even..." I started to suggest and noticed that I had lost Banner as well by that point. I walked back over to my chair and sat down quietly, feeling like the fifth wheel at the party.

"The four of us have been through a lot over the last forty eight hours. She is obviously exhausted, cut her some slack Tony." Steve said and Tony opened one eye at him. I looked down and felt every set of eyes in the room gravitate toward me.

"When Hermionie has something useful to add, I will cut her all the slack you want. Until then, I am going to keep pushing her. That entire load of crap she just spewed was completely pointless." Tony replied and Banner looked at Tony completely annoyed. Tilgun looked angry at Tony as well, and the temperature in the room dropped perceptibly.

"I find Loki's mate to be clever." Tilgun said and Loki sighed at the statement as everyone suddenly looked at me.

"Cultural differences guys, I am not offended." I said quickly and stared at the top of the table. I was fighting too much in my head to care anyways. I just hoped none of it showed, I did not want anyone in the room thinking I was falling apart right then and there.

"How long until you get your satellite images from the GPS coordinates we got?" Steve asked, taking charge of the group and I looked up at him.

"About another forty minutes, give or take." I said and he nodded back at me. "I thought it would be a good idea for us to know what we are walking into there, I did a google search on the coordinates and found it to be a location in a preserved Swamp in Louisiana. I know I am repeating myself Tony, but Steve was not there. Nothing clear showed up on Google, so I took over a SHIELD satellite to do a flyover. It could be an empty field, it could be a homeless camp like The Jungle in Seattle."

"The Jungle?" Steve asked and I sighed.

"Along I-5 in Seattle, there is a section of undeveloped hillside under the former Amazon building. The locals call it The Jungle, because that is where all the homeless tend to converge and is really overgrown, the cops don't know how many people are in that section and even the sane locals avoid that area. You have too many factors, hiding places where you could run into trouble, crazed transients, and wild animals creating a health hazard. Because it is under the I-5 and I-90 interchange, they can't get a clear image form the air of what is in there either. It is basically a logistical nightmare, so no one really goes in there. We got lucky because I can get an image of what we are walking into, I just thought it would be a good idea for us to know. To be sure." I finished and looked around me. My knowledge of everything criminal was showing again, and I tried my best to not feel like a freak among the law abiding citizens at the table.

"That is some good thinking." Steve said and I nodded back across the table at him. Loki glanced at Steve and I pretended not to notice that he was concerned by the praise. I thought about the whole messed up situation and how I now just wanted to be very far away from it. I was getting tired of fighting for my own survival and it was starting to show. Fury stood back up and started pacing back and forth in front of us with his hands behind his back. He turned and looked at me and he nodded.

"What if you can't destroy this container?" Fury asked and I looked down at the table and thought about it, coming up with a whole lot of nothing.

"Wing it, it guess." I replied and Tony snorted at me. I glared openly at him, very tired of all the crap he was flipping me.

"You have any better ideas? Because from where I am sitting, you are to only one here who has actually managed not to put their ass on the line. You aren't the one who had one of those things nearly take a chunk out of your ass. I am really open to suggestions if they are actually helpful, so if you don't shut your cake hole and settle your five dollar ass down, I have no problem making change." I said and the room got quiet. Loki looked at me with a mixture of shock and impressed approval, he slowly sat back in his chair and an impressed smirk crossed his face as he crossed his arms.

"Look Princess. We are all fighting the same crap here, but you were supposed to be the one with the answers. So far you have given us a mixture of Jack and Shit." Tony said and I stood up and glared across the table at him.

"Wow, so perceptive as always Tony. Really, I am the only one of the two of us who actually seems to have a complete and unflinching understanding of the current level of shit we are in." I said and cut him off before he could say anything more.

"I am the one who did the research, and read how completely bad the Dargumiin really is, and if this woman gets her hands on it...you can kiss all this stuff that is oh so very important to you goodbye." I said, picking up the file folders and papers on the table and tossing them back down in front of him.

"Can you fucking comprehend that? Or should I draw you a schematic?" I hissed at him and Tony shrank back into his chair and everyone looked from him to me as I took measured breaths and stared him down. I was not going to let this billionaire asshole treat me like I was a complete idiot, and I was sure as hell was not going to let him get the better of me. Thor shifted and I turned on my heel to sit back down in my chair.

"I died protecting this planet from your cuddle bunny over there, what did you do?" I turned and pinched my lips together and glared at Tony. Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and I let out a very long breath.

"I died on a Beach in Oregon saving lives, and from what I understand you were ready to bury me." I said calmly, and I turned back to the window. "You need to really let that shit go, because if I can, it makes me the better person. I am really getting tired of your bullshit Tony, you think you are the only one with guilt, and who is above their sins. You are no better than any of us, you just refuse to humble yourself to ask for the forgiveness you seek. You live in a glass house, stop throwing rocks."

The room went dead quiet and I crossed my arms as I turned back around and looked at the shock on Tony's face. I walked back to my chair and sat down heavily.

"Princess..." Tony started and I put my hand up to stop him.

"I forgave you for that, but I will not be told I am not doing enough." I said, ending the argument. Steve shifted and I looked at him.

"I got nothing." Steve said and I gave a half hearted laugh.

"If you two are done, is there anything more to add to this before we call it?" Fury asked and rested his hands on the table. I sighed as Steve looked at Tilgun and frowned, he was probably thinking the same thing as me at that point.

"I think we are going to need a bigger transport to the next destination. No offense, but Tilgun may not fit in the jet with all of us, and with our equipment." Steve said and everyone looked at the Frost Giant and nodded.

"Don't worry about that." Fury said and sat back. "I pulled some strings with some friends in the Department of Defense, The Army will be arriving and providing the transport." Tilgun blinked at us and I inwardly wondered how we were going to be traveling. Images of military planes and transports popped into my head from news coverage from Iraq, but nothing seemed large enough to carry all of us at once and land in a parking lot. A chirp from the phone in my pocket grabbed my attention, and I fished it out of my pocket to check the screen.

"My satellite images just came in." I said and everyone looked at me, Fury pointed a warning finger at me and I looked at him over the phone. Suddenly very nervous at what he had to say, and I did my best not to flinch.

"Next time ask permission before you hijack a multi-million dollar piece of SHIELD property." He said to me and I grinned back at him smugly.

"What fun would that be?" I said and put my phone in my pocket, feeling like a smart ass. "Frankly, I like watching people try to figure out how much of a problem I am going to be."

Tony snorted across the table at me and Thor laughed a bit as well at my joke. Steve looked up at the light fixture and sighed openly.

"Just be warned Ms. Hawthorne, you are toeing a very thin line there." Fury said and I looked at him and sighed.

"I get it, but I really want to know what is going on with this site. Google maps shows nothing, but my gut says there is something." I said and shrugged.

"Go with your gut." Steve said and I nodded.

"You all have five hours before your ride gets here, I suggest you use those hours well." Fury said and I rolled my eyes as I stood up and looked around the room. I started walking toward the door as every one watched me.

"I will be in the Lab, I want to see what is in the swamp. Hopefully it is more than just alligators."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We all stood around the satellite image in the Lab and stared in disbelief at the church, complete with steeple in the middle of the swamp. I zoomed in further, seeing three cars parked around the building and found the top of a persons head near the red hatchback. I was waiting for Friday to come back with any results on how to destroy the Dargumiin, when I started a secondary search on any settlements in that part of the Atchafalaya Swamp that may explain the church existing.

"This keeps getting weirder and weirder." Steve said and I nodded in agreement to him.

"I'm just wondering about the choice of venue, a church? Anyone else see the irony here?" Tony said and I sighed at him.

"Hallowed ground. It makes perfect sense to me." I said and scratched the back of my head. Loki looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

"Please Elaborate." Loki said and I pointed at the Churchyard. Zooming in on the remains of a cemetery along the side of the building, and pointing out the graves.

"That is a graveyard." I said and pointed down at the land. "In the past, many sects of Christianity blessed the ground before it could bury any dead there or build any houses of worship. It was meant to protect the souls laid to rest, and to keep demons at bay. The church is also sitting on the same blessed Holy Ground, and it is at the intersection of Ley Lines. If you subscribe to that theory."

"Ley Lines?" Bruce asked and I sighed.

"At the risk of sounding even more like a walking encyclopedia of the weird, Ley Lines are invisible lines on the globe believing to have spiritual power or resonate with higher psychic energies. It is a part of the numerous New Age beliefs that these lines are a source of Occult power or even Psychic Energy, in some instances they resonate with higher magnetic fields around them. It is all Pseudoscience though, actual science can not prove them real using instrumentation." I said and looked around, Thor glanced up at me and crossed his arms.

"And this relates to all this that we are looking at how?" Tony said and I glared at him, still pissed at him for earlier.

"Some people believe that intersecting Ley Lines can cause a hotbed of paranormal activity, even cause places built on them to be haunted on a massive scale. It makes sense to me to raise it there, you have that much latent energy combined with the Holy Ground, and a whole lot of bad vibes from the Voudou Rituals practiced there. I am actually surprised she can't perform the ritual without the human sacrifice." I replied and looked up at Tilgun who was blinking down at the structure on the screen. I moved to the side so he could look closer, and he shook his head.

"Mortals are strange." Tilgun said and I snorted derisively in response, Loki laughed a bit at his observation himself. I yawned into my hand and rubbed my face as Tony shifted the image, zooming it out to show the main drive.

"Now that that has been explained in the weirdest way possible." Tony said and looked at the image. "Is this road the only way in or out?"

"Yeah, if you are driving up to it, but there are other ways in. You could boat in, hike these paths to the East of it, or fly in if you can." I said and pointed out a couple of paths cut through the brush by hikers, Thor looked down at them and ran his fingers along them. He studied everything in front of his carefully, his brows knotting in thought.

"Anything else we should know about?" Steve asked and I shook my head and glanced around at everyone.

"Why are the graves this way?" Thor asked and pointed out the stone mausoleums built around the church, Tony shrugged and Steve looked down at them.

"Basic geology of the land there. The water table in New Orleans and much of the surrounding area is really high, so high that you can't inter the dead below ground. They have to be put into tombs and stone structures called Mausoleums. If you bury a coffin, it will eventually pop back up to the surface in a strong rainstorm." I explained and everyone nodded at me in unison, but openly weirded out.

"You really are an encyclopedia of the weird." Tony said and I groaned at him.

"I think the important thing now is that we stop the virus before it gets out." Steve said, changing the subject and I internally agreed with him and was grateful that he took the attention off of me for a bit. We all stood around, and waited for Tony to say something rude, but it never came.

"You know, everything about Leonie making that virus still seems really wrong to me." I said and Tony looked at me.

"Still think there is another player in the game?" Steve asked and I nodded.

"Look at that building, there is no way there is a research lab in there. That alone screams that there is someone else with their hands in the cookie jar here." I said and Tony agreed with me and crossed his arms. I picked up a random black hoodie I found laying on the table behind me and put it on, pushing the sleeves up my arms.

"Even in a Lab, this thing took time." Stark said. "The R and D alone must have been an insane amount of money. Someone had time and a whole lot of pocket change to put into that."

"How much would you guess?" Steve asked as Thor, Loki, and Tilgun watched our conversation closely. The three of them following it the best they could, but still looking a bit lost.

"Stark Pharmaceuticals will spend millions developing new medicines for the host of nasty Flu bugs that pop up every every year thanks to nature alone. To develop something as complex, and scary as this could be in the hundreds of millions. Whoever came up with this, has resources that rival mine." Tony replied and I shivered at the amount of money someone would put into ending the world. Something popped into my mind from the beginning of this nightmare and I looked at Steve.

"Fury said that someone inside Leonie's group leaked this information to him through another source." I said and Steve looked at me concerned.

"He did, I remember that." Steve said and looked at me. "When I wasn't vomiting."

"What are you getting at here?" Tony asked and I smiled at him.

"What if the second ghost organization leaked it on purpose, what if this was all a way to get Leonie stopped and to get us focused on her, away from them. Or what if this is just a bit of Saber Rattling to get our attention?" I asked them and Tony sighed.

"Why would they tell us that they had a virus and are using it to wipe out the world?" Steve asked and I shook my head.

"But they didn't kill everyone. They only killed a few." I said and everyone looked at me.

"I don't get it, why use the virus at all?" Steve said and I rolled my eyes.

"Because even Loki knows you don't kill everyone, just a few if you want attention brought to your cause. You kill a select few to get your statement made, and you pretty much tell everyone else at the same time that you are the new big bad on the block. You are essentially waving your arms in the air without risking too much exposure." I said and Loki shot me a look that told me he was not at all amused at my analogy.

"No offense Loki." I said and put my hands up. "This virus may be linked to the Bokor, but it was also a message. An extremely loud message at that. Whoever made this infection wants us to know that they have more hidden away, and they are not afraid to use it in the future. We are just now seeing the bigger picture here, what if this person also wants us to stop Leonie. Shouldn't we also be asking why they want her stopped?"

"You may be right on this theory." Loki said and Thor nodded. "That is my jacket."

"I'm borrowing it, I got cold." I quipped back and Tony rolled his eyes.

"I really do not want to know what else they have up their sleeves, but I do want to know who baked this up. Also, Loki, say goodbye to the hoodie, her girlfriend game is strong." Tony said and both Thor and Loki gave him a confused look at his last statement.

"Didn't Fury say that an intern received the email with all the attachments?" I asked Tony and rubbed the back of my neck.

"He did actually." Steve said and I looked at him.

"We may need to talk to this intern, they may know something we don't. Maybe even give us some insight into this whole nightmare." I said and Steve nodded, agreeing with me. Bruce nodded at Steve and started making phone calls as he walked away.

"We should. It may also help us track down the group behind it." He said and I smiled.

"Now kids, let's not go opening a new can of whoop ass when there is already an opened one in the refrigerator." Tony said Steve and I gave him an incredulous look.

"I really think this is all lumped into the same can of Whoop Ass Tony." I said and rubbed on extra sarcasm.

"Whoop Ass?" Tilgun asked and Tony looked at him.

"Fight, Tilgun." I said and he nodded. "Seriously though, this is all the same, the virus, Leonie and her plans, all of it. Just different names for the same thing."

No one spoke for a few minutes as Steve and I looked at one another. Tony sighed, knowing that we were going to talk to the intern who received the emails one way or another. It was just a question of when at this point.

"I really hope you know what you are doing." Tony said and sighed. "We have enough on our plates as it is, I really don't think fighting a war with two separate factions is a good idea right now."

"Then we don't. We take care of the immediate problem first, and then return to the secondary. Seeing as how we still need to talk to this person eventually though, let's just do it while we have the time. This person may not know anything, they may know something, we have to try. Maybe they can give us more information while it is all fresh in their minds though." I said, feeling flustered and not hiding it at all.

"I agree with the lady." Thor said. "Take opportunity when it presents itself."

I looked at everyone and found my self growing frustrated as they stood back, Thor looked at me and I smiled at him. He and I had a pretty good understanding, and he would always have my back if I needed it. Steve looked like he agreed with me and I tried to continue hiding my total frustration with the situation, a person can only explain themselves so many times before they just give up.

"Just be careful with this Princess, I am tired of running damage control for you." Tony said and I sighed.

"Then don't, I can fight my own battles. I really do not remember asking you to cover for me anyways, you just took over the job." I shot back and everyone looked at me, seeing that I was serious.

"Fury says he can have the intern in the conference room in fifteen minutes. Also, three more victims were found, putting the total at seventeen. This is getting worse by the minute, I really hope this does not end in a mess for all of us." Bruce said and everyone looked shocked, I looked at Tony and he rubbed his face with both hands as he thought.

"She is moving faster." Tony said and I looked down at the church, hating the woman in it and behind every thing that was happening currently. I wanted to stop her so bad at this point, I could feel my hands turning into fists.

"We don't even know if she is at this church, when is the next satellite flyover?" Tony asked and I looked up at the wall clock.

"Another six hours. We can still hit the church, skip the where house and go back to it." I said and Steve shook his head.

"No, they could release any infected in Florida if we hit the church first, we stick to the current plan. We need to be smart about where we go next, and can't really afford to make a mistake here." Steve said and I sighed, crossing my arms and looking at him.

"I really hope we are not making a mistake with this." Tony said and I glanced over at him, he took in a long breath and he pulled up a floor plan of the where house and we saw all three floors appear on the screen. Each floor was a rabbits warren of offices and storage units, each sectioned off area a possible hiding spot for whoever or whatever.

"You know," I said sighing and looking down at the floor plans. "The more we go into these places, the more it looks like I am not going to live long enough to get my shit together."

Tony laughed at my joke and Loki glared at me and sighed. I cringed a bit, knowing that he was upset because he hated when I talked about my own mortality in a caviler fashion. He would have to just get over it though, this nightmare was not over, and I needed to crack jokes in order to stay sane.

"Not funny." Loki said tersely and I flinched, he had already lost too many people in his life, so I did not flip him any sass back about it.

"Hogworts can take the top floor, Cap and I will take the second, and Thor and Tilgun can take the ground floor. Banner will hang back in the chopper in case we need him." Tony said as he pointed at the different levels, I raised my hand quietly and gave him a quizzical expression.

"Chopper?" I asked and Tony smiled at me.

"Fury arranged for the Army to pick us up in style. A CH-47 Chinook is coming to take us where we need to go, think of it as the worlds most expensive Uber." He said and I ran a search on the capacity of the aircraft and nodded. Fury was pretty smart in his choice. The twin props of the Chinook not only made it fast, but also able to transport extremely heavy loads. The cargo space as well was what we needed for Tilguns height, and the extra equipment we needed.

Call me selfish too, but my claustrophobia actually felt relieved at the fact that I would not be back in the slightly cramped jet.

"Ever fly before Tilgun?" I asked and he looked at me and then back down at the screen.

"No, the Jotun are not capable of it." He replied in his deep voice and studied the helicopter on the screen, I smiled at him and he looked at me.

"Welcome to Earth. Thor must be excited, he gets to meet some of our warriors." I joked and Thor smiled brightly at the thought. Loki noticed the grin, and shook his head as he laughed.

"Fury is also providing the party favors again, he wants it just like the last time. A nice clean burn. Nothing of the infection is to remain for future study. Are we clear Princess?" Tony said and I nodded at him. I looked down and tried not to think for five seconds. Nightmare images of a dead world filled my head, and I pushed them away.

"My biggest fear is a Government that views this as a weapon. Play with fire, and eventually you do get burned." I said and sighed. Thor looked at me and Steve nodded.

"Correct assumption Lady." Thor said and Steve made a sound of agreement. I pulled a wheeled office chair over and looked at everyone in the room as I sat down and sighed. Bruce looked at me and shifted on his feet as I put my hand up to my head.

"Something to add Princess? You look like something bothers you." Tony asked me and I looked up at him.

"I really don't know which is worse," I said. "The person who thought this monster up, or the people who want to use it as a weapon in war."

"Well, sometimes the best weapon is one you don't have to use. The one you only show off to keep the peace is someone out there gets too uppity." Tony replied and I looked at him and sat forward.

"A world enslaved in the pursuit of peace is not a free world. It is a world held in fear and oppression." I said and looked at Tony. "You also forgot one thing Tony."

I shifted and rested my elbows on my knees as Loki looked at me and made a face that said he was interested in what I had to say.

"And that is?" Tony asked me and I looked up at him.

"Frankenstein was killed by his monster, eventually the creation will be the downfall of the creator. Eventually everything that was made by man will either work against us, not aid us." I replied and Loki looked at me in surprise, he did not hide his approval at my statement and I sat back in the chair.

"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper." I said and sighed.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14.

The intern sat in the chair nervously as Steve and I looked at her. She was a pretty, young blonde woman who smiled widely as us as we walked in. She shifted in her neat suit and pencil skirt, watching the both of us closely for any signs of what our motives were. I sat down in a chair facing her and picked up a pen, pulling a pad of yellow paper over to me. I was trying to make this whole thing look like it was a casual meeting, Steve sat down next to me and smiled in that All American Boy way that naturally put people at ease. It may actually work if we could pull it off.

"Good afternoon Miss..." Steve started and the woman smiled at him, everything in her body language saying she was ecstatic to meet Steve.

"Shaw." She replied. "Emily Shaw."

"Miss Shaw." Steve said nodding, and I wrote her name down. We decided earlier I would just play the part of secretary, and that I could ask a few questions. But sometimes, I tended to have a bit of an attitude, so I had to word everything very carefully. I tried to argue with him, but only managed to prove his point and lessen mine. My attitude was a huge problem when it came to this stuff, I was so the bad cop no matter how hard I tried to be nice. Seriously, I am a fucking ray of sunshine all the time, complete with unicorn farts and glitter.

I sat back in my chair and looked across the table at her, she looked at me and turned toward Steve. I felt a bit like I was part of the furniture in her eyes, but something in her body language told me she was nervous about me. I was getting a weird vibe from her, something that screamed that she was hiding some guilt. Something that made her avoid looking at me in any way she could.

"We understand you were the one who received the email with the files, and that you were the one who forwarded them to Fury." Steve said and Emily shifted in her seat, folding and unfolding her hands as I watched her.

"Yes." She said and looked at me, glancing really. "I thought they were important, so I sent them directly to Director Fury."

"What is your email address and password, if the original messages is still there, I can track the source using the ISP address attached to it." I said and poised the pen over the pad.

"ISP?" Steve asked me and I smiled at him politely.

"I will explain it to you later, a weird computer and technology thing." I said and he nodded and looked back at Emily.

"I do not have to give you that information." She snapped at me and I twirled the pen around in my fingers, trying to hide my annoyance. Steve looked at me out of the corner of his eye and I sat back and crossed my legs.

"Yes, actually. You do have to give me that information. I now have Security Clearances with SHIELD and orders from Fury to do everything I can to get more information in this and the origins of the email for him." I replied calmly and she glared back at me from her seat.

"You do not have the security clearance for my email, plus you are with him." She said, saying "him" as if it were a dirty word. It was an obvious reference to Loki, and I tapped the pen on the arm of my chair as I looked at her. I sat back forward and placed the pen on the pad calmly as she crossed her arms in our non verbal standoff, her face suddenly cold and I let out a long breath before I said something that I would regret.

"You really do not know which buttons you just pushed Shaw." I said and she looked a bit worried as I folded my hands in front of me and looked at her. She blinked first, she looked down at her knees and did her best to ignore me.

"Ladies, now let's just have a conversation that is civil." Steve interjected. "Miss. Shaw, no one believes you are part of this nastiness at all. We are just trying to figure out if someone or another group created the infection beyond what we are facing, and as you know Ms. Shaw, Loki has been with us on this. He has also been a big help in saving the people surrounding the places we have hit, he is part of our team and we want to keep him that way."

She sat back in her chair and glared at me, the shots have been fired already and I was going for blood at this point. She crossed my personal line, and I was ready for anything else she would try to throw at me. I leaned forward and sharpened my personal claws, and gave her a sardonic smile.

"Can you forward the email to me as least? Maybe I can try to pull the ISP from the embedded message and get the information I need from that." I said and she shook her head, smiling with her perfectly applied lipstick.

"I deleted the original message after I sent it to Fury." Emily replied coolly, and I looked at her open mouthed. I let out a breath and sat back again, shock invading my system at her admission.

"You knowingly tampered and destroyed evidence in an ongoing investigation? Aren't interns for SHIELD supposed to come with brains standard issue?" I said and she opened her mouth, shocked that I had the nerve to say anything like that at all. She closed her mouth and looked at Steve who crossed his arms. I picked up the pen and wrote a message to Steve, tapping the pad to get his attention and he looked down at it.

SHE IS LYING.

I wrote on the pad, and he nodded at it, this was getting deeper than I thought, and I was not liking how this was going. Something told me that this particular rabbit hole was going to end up in Hell not Wonderland.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, especially since I have seen your Juvenile Record. You really have no room to talk, Raven." She shot at me and sat back smugly. Using my street name from two years ago like it was also a dirty word. I set the pen back on top of the yellow pad and leaned forward on the table. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I laughed and let myself keep laughing for a moment to make her uncomfortable. Steve shifted in his seat and I took in a slow deep breath, letting seconds tick off on the clock before I opened my eyes again and looked at Emily.

I let my eyes turn black, and then I blinked allowing them to swirl back violet slowly. She jerked back in surprise, it was a fun little trick Loki taught me and I giggled at her fear. I used it on special occasions, mostly when I wanted to be left alone. It was subtle, but extremely effective.

"You are either hiding something really nasty, or you are being manipulated. Either way, you are so on the defensive for a reason. If you read my juvenile record so deeply and read the whole file, you know then about the other stuff I can do." I said and she looked at Steve for help. He opened his hands and showed her that she really was out of options.

"How long have you worked for them Emily?" I asked her and she rolled her eyes.

"I have been an intern for six months, ask Fury about my service." She snapped defensively, and I sat back in my chair.

"I already have Emily, and nothing about you makes sense, I was also not referring to SHIELD." I said and she jerked back in surprise. Steve looked at me and then back at the woman across the table.

"What?" she said, obviously exasperated. I folded my hands and looked at her and started stripping her down, the way she tried to strip me down in front of Steve.

"Your suit is Chanel, probably very expensive. I'm guessing about a thousand dollars or more? Your shoes have the tell-tale red soles of Jimi Choo, perhaps a couple grand?" I said and she crossed her arms defensively and tapped her foot, looking at me. I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out five pages that I had printed off before coming into the room, unfolding them and spreading them out neatly in front of me. I slid them over in front of Steve so he could look at them as well.

"Your parents are both grain farmers in Kansas. But their farm has been struggling lately, you went to Brown on student loans, and you have been struggling to pay them back. Could not find other work, so you came to SHIELD. Maybe something impressive to put on a resume someday, for that awesome job in whatever field you wanted to go into. But wow, girlfriend, you have expensive tastes. You live in a six thousand dollar a month penthouse apartment, and spend a crazy amount of money on clothes and shoes. You also drive a Mercedes that is strangely, paid off." I said and looked at her.

"And here is where nothing at all makes sense, your parents were also six years behind on their property taxes. But suddenly, you paid them off three months ago. Your student loans were also paid off a month ago. So, strange for someone to come into money like that without winning the lottery. So, who is paying your bills, because I am guessing that Fury is not the Sugar Daddy type. Because, that is a whole lot of blow jobs if you did it that way." I said and held up the pages toward her. Hacking bank accounts for the records is easy, I happily forwarded everything to Fury ahead of time.

"You are not the only one who can read a file. And I may have dug deeper into your financial records, call it my need to know. Your offshore account is really the interesting thing here. Last month six million dollars was deposited into the account by an unknown source, that is quite a retirement account there." I said and she blinked at me. I sat quietly for several minutes, allowing her time to let everything I had just said to sink in. Her eyes darted around the room and Steve leaned forward, folding his hands on the table in front of him.

"Miss Shaw?" Steve said patiently and she flinched back as if someone had slapped her across the face.

"I can't." she said, shaking her head in denial. The full weight of her crimes, exposed and coming down on her.

"SHIELD email addresses are heavily encrypted, and never to be used outside official business. How would someone randomly get your email to send you those files? I hacked the Pentagon using a dial-up modem and an IBM computer in a public library. I can't even begin to get through the second firewall to hack SHIELD using Stark's latest tech. Talk to us and maybe we can help you Emily." I said calmly, she shook in her chair, looking out the windows and starting to panic. She turned back to us like a trapped animal, and I looked at her with sympathy. I knew that feeling, and I knew it well.

"Who are you protecting Ms. Shaw, Tell us and we can protect you." Steve said and she stared back at him, pure fear on her face as she cracked under the pressure.

"They will kill my family." She said and I stood up, walking around the table to her and pulling the pictures I had printed out from my other pocket. Unfolding them as I walked and spread them out on the table in front of her. Five pictures of bodies of the infected, charred from the fire I used to destroy the monster that was in them. I slid one picture in particular in front of her as I turned her chair toward it, she recoiled in horror from the image and she looked at the rest of them. The one I pulled toward us was a small body from the cannery, a child's body.

"That was one of thirty-eight people in the Cannery." I hissed at her. "That child had a family, that child will never grow up, that child was murdered by whoever created the infection. I want to know who they are, and you are going to tell me. Or you will really wish you had never crossed my line."

She tried to turn her head to look away as I slapped my hand onto the table to keep her attention on the pictures, each of them charred remains, the last one I slid in front of her was a woman from her build. Her skull exposed thanks to the flames I created to stop the virus. Emily turned the pictures over, crying and whimpering as the images, Every part of her brain working and unable to comprehend the horrible spectacle I had put in front of her.

"There were sixty-four in the slaughter house in Madison. We are going to hit Florida soon, help us stop the people who made this virus Emily. SHIELD will protect your family, they will protect you." I said, taking one of her shaking hands in mine and looking at her, forcing her to make eye contact with me.

"I can't." She whimpered and tears slid down her cheeks, her breath ragged as she pleaded with me. Her eyes begging me to stop, to not make her say anything.

""Please." She whispered, begging me as she opened the top button on her blouse and pulled out a necklace, she wrapped her fist around it and broke the thin silver chain that held the crystal covered heart around her neck. She pressed the necklace into my other palm and closed my hand over it with both of hers. I nodded at her, knowing what it was and I looked back into her face as she shivered, broken and something in her expression made me close my eyes. I felt like shit suddenly.

"Emily, why are you refusing our help?" Steve said as I slipped the necklace into my pocket, she watched me closely and I looked back up at her. She nodded her understanding that she knew that I understood what I now had in my pocket, and it weighed more than Dark Matter.

"All we need is one name Emily, I will go tonight and get your parents and take them somewhere safe. I will be the only person who will know where they are, and you can't torture that information out of me. You have my promise." I said and she shook her head, beginning to sob as she leaned forward toward me. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me close to her. She turned her mouth toward my ear and whispered it to me, pushing me back and wiping her face on her hand as she trembled and put her fingers over my mouth.

"They are already dead." She said and turned over the picture of the woman from Wisconsin. Steve looked at both of us and I shivered, knowing what she was going to say.

"That was my Mother's bracelet." She said and sobbed again. I stepped back, looking at her in shock and blinked, I had burned her mother after shooting the woman in the head. I screamed inside my head and began shaking myself as I looked at the woman in front of me. She leaned forward onto the table and sobbed, her breath ragged and I braced myself against another chair.

Inside my head, the violent and primitive monster I fought to suppress sharpened her claws and rattled her cage door, she wanted out and she wanted blood. She wanted blood for all the lives destroyed by these people, and I was ready to kick the door open and let her have fun.

"Get them for me, make them all pay." She sniffed as Fury and two other men entered to room. Placing handcuffs on her wrists in front of her, the both of us stood silently as Fury glared at her. I wanted to smack him and scream at him for the way he glared at the poor woman, shout into his face that she was a victim as much as anyone else involved in this nightmare. But, somehow, I held back and looked down at my feet. I stepped around behind Emily and looked at Steve, he shrugged at me and I pitied the woman for what we did to her. Inside my head, something uncoiled and joined the monster in the cage, and they both sharpened their teeth.

"Did you get what you both wanted?" He asked me coldly and I nodded at Fury, not knowing what else to do.

"Yeah." I said and looked at Steve who looked back at me sadly. I felt so much like a monster for what I had just showed her, for rubbing salt into an already open wound. Her family was dead and now she had nothing, it was the loneliest place in the world, and I was intimate with it.

"Emily." I said and she turned to look back at me. "I will get them for your family."

She smiled as me sadly and turned to be led away by the two armed men, strangely calm when she suddenly shoved into one of the men and reached down to the hip of one and pulled his Glock 1911 out of the holster. Steve raced forward to grab me, climbing over the table as he moved. But he was too slow. She put the gun toward her own face, pressing the barrel on her nose. She pulled the trigger and I heard the sound bounce off the walls, my ears began ringing as something warm hit my face and neck. The mass of it sliding down my cheek onto my shirt.

Steve froze and the whole room turned into a second by second hour as I stepped back and tried to comprehend what had happened.

I blinked as Emily sagged and fell to the floor, the gun in her hand tumbling down from dead fingers and clattering to the ground. I started at the hole in the back of her head and put my hand up to my face, feeling the sticky mess coat my shaking fingers. Steve and Fury both froze and looked at me as I looked at the blood on my hand, flecks of brain and skull dotted my fingers in the red and I looked down at my shirt to see a piece of her scalp on me. I saw strands of blonde hair and I tried not to scream as I closed my eyes and shivered.

From somewhere far away, I heard running and shouts coming our way, and activity picked up suddenly as people started rushing about me. I heard someone say my name and I looked at Steve, my ears ringing and drowning out his voice. He repeated what he said before, and I just blinked at him dumbly. Every motion became automatic, and I had no concept of what was going on. I was a thousand miles away, and I tried to rub something wet and sticky off my face, but Steve stopped me.

Someone else said my name from far away, and I looked at Thor and Bruce as they approached me. I turned my attention back to my hand and it became the center of my attention. I did not feel hurt, no pain was there, but I saw so much blood. I stared at the hand and looked at the flecks of white and gray among the red. A random memory of strawberry jam smashed into my hair by a bully at school came back and I remembered how the bread looked as I cleaned the mess off of me. I tried to put my fingers into my mouth to taste the berry flavored goo, but Steve stopped me again.

"She is in shock." I heard Bruce say as someone guided me to a chair and I was pushed down into it while people worked around me. I looked over at Emily and saw her face was completely obliterated, a smoking crater where her nose once was and someone turned my head to shine a light into my pupils. The sudden brightness made me cringe away and blink as I turned my head to see someone cover the dead woman on the floor.

"What happened to her?" Someone said in a panic as everyone turned and looked at Loki, my shirt being cut at the shoulders as something sticky was pressed against my chest and a cardio monitor was switched on. I watched as Thor held him back and my shirt was cut up the front and removed, leaving me sitting in my bra and jeans. I shivered as I looked at everyone and around the room. A blood pressure cuff was put around my arm and tightened. Bruce worked methodically, noting every change in me as he used a wet cloth to wash the blood off my face and neck, the sudden cold making me jerk back and I started shaking hard. My body revolted suddenly and I threw myself forward, vomiting between my feet, making Bruce jump back as my stomach contents heaved out of me.

"It is not her blood, she is unharmed." Thor said to Loki and he glared back at his bother.

"Strawberry jam." I said and raised my hand, Loki looked at me and realized I was not all upstairs at that moment and he should probably leave a message. I was a million miles away and still running away from current events in my head and I blinked back at Bruce.

"She is not unharmed, look at her." Loki hissed and watched as Bruce handed Steve the heart monitor and they both pushed the chair across the room so Bruce wouldn't have to kneel in vomit.

"Loki." Bruce said, snapping his attention toward us. "Grab some more towels and clean the blood off of her. She is physically fine, but we need to all stay calm around her. She does not need shouting or every one freaking out right now."

Steve threw the bloody towels into the vomit as I blinked again and the far away world drew in close again. Loki took my hand and began cleaning it off with a wet towel and I swallowed hard as Fury walked over to us and looked down at me. I stared back at him and took measured breaths as a stretcher was brought in and became very aware of how exposed I was. I jerked my hands up to cover my bra and blushed, Bruce draped a towel around my chest and under my arms, tucking the ends behind me to give me back some modesty.

"I hope your need for answers was worth it Miss. Hawthorne." Fury said and I glared at him and gave him the finger.

"You seem to leave a path of destruction no matter where you go. Could you please tell me how many more lives you plan to ruin before this is over?" He barked down at me and everyone froze as I glared at him.

"This is on you." I said and let Bruce listen to my chest, Loki cleaned the blood off my arm and moved to my cheek. I reached up and pulled the wires connecting me to the heart monitor, yanking the pads off my chest painfully as I stood up and looked him in the face.

"Four Horsemen Initiative." I said as Bruce tried to guide me back into the chair. "Do you know who they are?"

"No." Fury said and turned away as Bruce managed to sit me back in the chair, I looked at him back and grew angry. This arrogant asshole was going to answer me.

"Look at me." Loki said and he used a clean, damp towel to clean the skin near my hairline and I looked at him, sneaking the necklace out of my pocket as Fury left the room. Steve and Bruce looked at the piece of Swarovoski Jewelry in confusion as I put a finger up to my lips. I ran my finger along the edge of the heart to push the USB drive out, and everyone looked at me.

"I need a computer that is not linked to Fury, she wanted me to see what is on this. I have a feeling it has something to do with the Four Horsemen and the virus." I said and slipped the necklace into Loki's hand. He wiped at my face and looked around as he put the jewelry into his pants pocket.

"Will any computer work?" Steve asked and I nodded up at him.

"Yeah. Right now, we need to keep all this between us though. I am about to fake a convulsion and you are going to force everyone to put off the third site for a few more hours. I want to know what is on that drive, I also have a plan to make contact with the Horsemen." I said and Bruce nodded. I looked at the three men around me and I pretended to sob.

"You did all this while in shock?" Steve asked me, and I shrugged.

"My brain is weird, get over it." I said and looked at the men around me.

"Twenty-four hours work?" Bruce asked and I winked at him and nodded as I pretended to work myself up.

"I will take Loki and we are going computer shopping through the junk in storage." Steve said. "There will be something down there with how fast Tony goes through stuff."

"I will give you ten minutes Steve." I said and looked at Loki, he grabbed my hand and a real tear ran down my cheek.

"They killed her parents, they used her. She was a victim in all this and she told me the name after she found out she had nothing left to loose." I said and Bruce pretended to take my pulse again.

"You will be her avenging spirit." Loki said and wiped the tear away with his thumb. Thor walked back over to us and looked at the scene sadly.

"When I give the signal, start acting." Bruce said and looked at the rest of the guys.

"Be ready to lift her and move Thor. And don't drop her." Bruce said and I looked at him as he continued to take my pulse.

"You two go, the clock starts when you go through the door." I said and gave them both a quick smile as Loki patted his pocket. I watched Steve and Loki leave the room as Bruce placed a thermometer in my mouth and pretended to take vitals. He worked quietly and Thor watched me, not knowing exactly what we were doing but willing to play along. Bruce glanced down at his wristwatch and then back up at me. The minutes ticked by as Tony walked past the body of the woman and looked at us, he leaned back on the table next to Thor as Bruce pressed two Alka Seltzer tabs into my hand and he motioned for me to cough.

"It will make it more convincing, did you know I beat Thor up too?." Bruce said and I gave a quick laugh as I covered it with a cough, slipping the two tabs into my mouth and felt them foam against my tongue. I jerked back, arching my back out and making my hands into claws as the foam from my mouth spilled over my lips and onto my chin. I arched my back out further and Thor went right into action, he lifted me as the towel fell off my chest and to the floor. I rolled my eyes into my head and Tony actually panicked at the sight. Thor held me as we all began moving toward the door.

"Get her to the infirmary, I need to stabilize her!" Bruce said and Thor began moving a bit faster. An Agent stepped in front of him to stop us and Bruce openly protested the action.

"This woman has Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter, exacerbated by the stress she has experienced. She needs to be stabilized immediately." Bruce said and it was everything I had not to giggle at him and keep up the fake seizure. The agent looked at the four of us and waved us past and we hurried down the hall as Bruce handed me the towel to wipe my face.

"Your bullshit game is strong Bruce, I have never heard anyone say they needed to stabilize a woman with hiccups before." I said and spit the rest of the tabs into the towel, laughing.

"I improvised." He said grimly and I laughed.

"It worked, and I am impressed." I said and Thor groaned down at me. "You can put me down big guy."

Thor set me down and I wrapped my arms around my bare torso and looked around for something to put on. Thor took off his shirt and handed it to me, and I pulled it on, assessing his torso and blushing.

Hey, I am with his brother, I am not dead.

"Someone want to tell me what is going on?" Tony asked as we rounded the corner of the hall and walked into the Lab. I stopped ogling Thor and looked at Tony.

"We just bought Twenty-four hours. Does Steve have his cell phone on him? I really need to tell him what exactly I need from his trip to storage." I asked and Tony shrugged. I waved at Tilgun, as he looked up from a computer monitor he was reading from and he looked at the blood and the huge shirt that hung around my knees. He returned to the computer he was looking at as if it was just another thing.

"You can never tell with those old men, what is in your hair?" Tony asked and I reached up to pull a piece of scalp and brain out of my hair. I cringed and turned pale at the mess in my hand, and fought the urge to vomit again.

"I need a shower." I said and wiped the mess into the towel. "I am seriously needing it bad."

"You can clean up in the back, I will find you some clothes." Tony said and I walked toward the back of the lab, grabbing a hospital gown and robe on my way back.

"Fury is going to be pissed when he finds out you faked that." Tony said and I laughed at him.

"Oh Tony, I have flirted with disaster most of my life. I always manage to get friend zoned though. Let me know when Loki and Steve get back, I may need to send them back down to find me what I need." I said and walked into the shower, locking the door behind me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you think this one will work?" Rogers asked Loki as he looked in an overflowing bin of discarded computer parts and dug through it, finding a plug and putting it on the cart next to the other laptop computer they found. He raised an eyebrow at the device and sighed.

"You are asking the wrong person." Loki replied and found another laptop in the collected debris and put it on the cart with the other one.

"She really sent the wrong two people to get what she needs." Rogers said, openly deflated and Loki laughed at his observation.

"I have faith she will be able to use some of this, she is rather clever." He replied as he reached into another bin and looked at the various parts in it. Scanning everything carefully and finding nothing that struck him as useful. He lifted a box up and looked in it, finding more parts and dug out another plug, putting that one on the cart as well.

"I will give Stark one merit, he is not wasteful." Loki said as he picked up a tower and set it onto the cart as well, Rogers picked up some more items ans shifted others on the shelves as he turned and looked at him. Bins overflowed with cables and other parts as Loki pulled at a heavy one and saw nothing but discarded circuit boards, various cables, and other debris.

"You could say that." Rogers said and put another laptop on the cart, but he stopped him, turning over the device to show that parts had been removed from it.

"That one may not work." Loki said and Rogers nodded.

"Good catch. She should be the one down here. She just showed me how to check the weather on my phone." He said and sighed, looking on the shelves as he dug into them again, turning over computers and looking a bit lost.

"So she is super smart huh?" Rogers said and looked around. Loki snorted at the question and tried his best not to snap at the man for his blunt assessment. "Can I ask you something?"

Loki stiffened at the query from Rogers and looked through the shelves in front of him. He pulled out another bin and dug through it and tried to think of a way to avoid answering the question. He was not sure if he should respond to him, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"You may, but I will decide if I should answer you." He replied and looked at Roger, amazed with his patience at being tested by the mortal across from him.

"Why her?" Rogers asked and Loki felt confusion at the question, not understanding it fully.

"I do not understand." Loki said and he narrowed his eyes at him, trying not to let his confusion show. He looked at another laptop, and set it back, finding that parts to it were missing.

"Why did you pick her?" He asked and Loki let out a sigh as he leaned against a shelving unit and faced the other man.

"You wish to know if I plan on using her."

"Yes." Rogers said and looked around the storage space, picking up a few parts and putting them back.

"I respect her honesty, and her intelligence." Loki said calmly, looking at Rogers and returning to his task as he dug through another shelf. He picked up another computer and found it to be lighter than the rest, and figured that this one had been stripped as well of important parts.

"What about everything she can do?" He asked and Loki regarded the question as he turned toward Rogers and sighed.

"Everyone looks at her in fear, but never seeks to understand her motivation or her moral dilemma toward herself. She is what she is, and cannot change it no matter how much she desires to. Dose that sufficiently answer your question Rogers?" He said and found another power cord, handing it to Rogers for the cart. As he picked up another computer and found it cracked and damaged.

"There is more than respect for her on you." Rogers said and he turned to look at the fair haired man cautiously.

"I do not seek to use her Rogers." He said sharply and turned away quickly, lifting another laptop computer and turning it over before handing it to Rogers behind him. He was growing annoyed with the questions that were being asked and wanted them to end. Rogers had no right to pry into his thoughts, and his intentions toward Lilliana. It was becoming irritating at that point and he found himself having enough of it all.

The two men went back to digging through the shelves for several minutes more before Loki stood and brushed off his hands. Behind him, Rogers sneezed and rubbed his nose. The silence was more pleasant than the current conversation, and the only sounds were of items being shuffled about on the shelves. He looked at another computer, and turned it over in his hands, so much information at one's fingertips. A few commands and the knowledge came to you automatically. He ran his hands over the plastic case and thought about all the potential of the device he held and tucked it under his arm.

"I never thought that you could honestly love anyone other then yourself." Rogers said suddenly and Loki jerked around. Glaring at the man who stood behind him and handed back a keyboard that looked useful. Rogers put a monitor on the cart, which had begun to overflow in the last few moments.

Rogers shook his head and laughed to himself in amusement as Loki angrily dug through another bin, looking through the parts and various cords. He shoved the computer under his arm at Rogers and repressed a growl. He wanted to strike Rogers for the perceived insult, but settled on ignoring the man instead. He turned his back and crouched down to look on another shelf, ignoring his annoyance as he did so.

How dare he make such assumptions about him, how does he think the he was incapable of any emotion as he described. Was he testing him?

"It was on your face back in the slaughterhouse. You don't think anyone saw it, but I did. You looked at that thing biting down on her and hesitated. Anyone else would have just shot her right away, but you stopped. You were scared to pull that trigger and you were right in the end." Rogers said and Loki stood up, turning and glaring at him as he turned over what was said to him.

"My greatest fear is loosing her." Loki admitted, and looked down, ashamed for what he had let out. "Do not share your revelation with anyone Rogers."

"Don't worry. And I am not the only person who sees it too." He said and pulled the cart toward the door, pausing to put the selection of cables and cords he had set aside onto the cart as he pushed if out onto the hall. He stopped and pointed at another monitor, as he pushed the cart out the door an into the hall.

"Grab that one on the end, hopefully we found enough for her. She can pick and choose what she wants to use." Rogers said and Loki lifted the screen and carried it out the door, pausing near the cart as Rogers turned out the light in the room and closed the door. He jiggled the knob to see that it was locked and hooked his fingers over the edge of the cart to pull it around.

"I am sure she will be able to make use of these devices. If not, there seems to be plenty more available to her." Loki said to him as they both walked down the hall toward the elevator. Steve pressed the button mounted on the wall as they both reached the lift. Waiting for it to arrive.

"You know the weird part in all of this?" Steve asked as they waited and Loki turned to face the man next to him quietly.

"What would that be Rogers?" Loki asked him, somewhat nervous about the answer that was coming, all the while hoping silently that it would be a favorable response.

"When she said there was another player involved in all this, I had a feeling she was right. And she was. I just hoped she was wrong so that everything would stay simple, not be complicated by another faction." Rogers said as the doors to the elevator opened and he pushed the cart into it, being careful not to let anything fall. Loki regarded the man next to him and watched as he pressed the button to raise them up the shaft to their desired floor.

"Sadly. She is often correct about things." Loki replied, noticing the way Rogers looked at him as an equal and not as his enemy. Part of him respected the man for that, and he smiled to himself at the thought.

He remembered a time not too long ago where they faced one another in combat, and he could have easily killed the man next to him. Now he was standing on the same side of the line with this man, working to save a planet he once despised and wished to enslave. How strange the fates worked, one day enemies became allies.

"Well if none of this stuff works, she can go down there and dig through that mess. I have no idea what to do with any of this stuff." Rogers said and Loki chuckled as the elevator opened to the hall going toward the infirmary. Rogers looked at him as he pushed the cart down the the clean, bright hallway and a melody played from his pocket.

"She changed my ringtone too. She thought the Star Spangled Banner was funny." He said as he looked down at the phone in his pocket and tapped the screen to silence the music.

"She has a wild sense of humor, it is one of her better qualities. And it is not an unpleasant sound." Loki replied, Rogers laughed a bit at him. "She also will not go down there."

"Why not?" He asked and Loki sighed again openly at the man, giving him a sidelong look as they moved to the side of the hall for the Agents to pass, pushing a gurney with a zipped up body bag on it. Loki's hand absentmindedly went to his pocket with the necklace in it and he covered the small lump with his fingers.

"Lilliana has a fear of spaces like that. She will not even get willingly into an elevator, but it is improving." Loki replied as the gurney was pushed into the waiting elevator and the doors slid shut silently. Steve stood still and looked down in respect, saying a silent prayer for the dead woman and Loki waited patiently.

"May she find peace." Loki said quietly and Steve looked at him in open shock at the words he just uttered out of respect for the dead woman.

"Amen." Steve said as they both turned and walked toward the infirmary, the contents of the cart rattling the only sound.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15.

For the record, showers are magical and should be treated as such.

There is a strange alchemy that occurs when you mix hot water, shampoo, and soap to create a clean human being. It is like every awful thing that has happened to you is rinsed down the drain with the sweat and dirt. Revealing a new, baptized being, ready to take on and face anything set before them. Fearless and renewed for the new day or whatever they need to walk into, all perfumed in soap and steam.

I stood under the spray until the water turned cold, avoiding the urge to look down and see blood swirling down the drain. I knew it was there and I did not need to see it as a reminder of the hell I had just endured. I forced my mind to think of something else as I crouched down to the tile floor and took deep breaths, shaking and holding myself as the water streaked over me. Tears for the dead mingling under me with the blood as I rested my forehead on the tile, letting myself mourn them all. The past, the present, and the future ones that would die in some madman's quest for power.

When would it all be enough? When would the world stop making monsters of men?

I let myself come undone on the floor of the stall as I put both my hands on the water warmed tile and let a sob out. Guilt, tearing myself in two for all that I had done and all that I would be forced do. I paid my penance and moved my hands over the smooth surface as the steam made ghosts in the small room. Faces that silently mourned with me on the glass, and cried tears of condensation, falling to the ground in the memory of loss. My entire being was crystal fragile, and my soul was ready to shatter from everything over the last few days. I needed release, and I raised my face to the stream in hope that I would be absolved of what I had done. A prayer for the dead as I stretched my hands up above my head to turn off the stream of water as a knock came to the door.

How fragile the strongest of beings could be, and how broken we all could become at the slightest shock. I sat back and looked at the door and blinked the water out of my eyes as the knock came again.

"Yeah?" I said and stood up on shaky legs, stepping out of the stall and wrapping a large towel around myself as I put my hand on the knob.

"The one called Bruce Banner asked me to bring you these clothes." Tilgun said from the other side of the door. I opened it and cracked it enough for him to pass me the new clothing and he looked down at me. I smiled up at him as I took everything from him and he stopped me from closing the door with his hand. I froze and looked back out at him, somewhat frightened of what he saw in my face.

"It was a terrible thing for you to see, but you are strong." He said and moved his hand away from the door nodding. I jerked back, wondering if he could read my mind and he regarded me with his red eyes. I reached around the door to him to touch his hand, but he pulled away from me.

"Thank you Tilgun, I appreciate your concern." I said in a thick voice, just above a whisper. I choked back more tears and I smiled up at him, he kept his hand out of reach and I looked away sadly.

"My skin is very cold, it may burn you if I do not control myself." He said and I smiled back at him as he began to walk away.

"Thank you again." I said and watched him walk away. I closed the door and dressed quickly, drying my hair in the towel while digging through the toiletries in a dish on the counter. I used a disposable toothbrush to give my teeth a thorough cleaning and was applying lotion to my arms and neck when another knock came at the door. I opened it a crack to see Loki Standing outside it calmly.

"I'm not stupid, I need to see the cookies before I pay. And aren't you a bit tall for a Girl Scout?" I said and he rolled his eyes at my joke.

"You look much improved from when I left you." He said and I smiled at him and sighed.

"Just don't look at me mentally. I'm a total mess. But it is pretty amazing what a hot shower can do for the body." I said to him as he walked in and around me. He leaned on the counter as I finished applying moisturizer and washed my hands under the water. I dried my hands and face in a clean towel and sighed as he watched me.

"Still beautiful, despite everything you have endured." He said and I blushed at the compliment. Seeing his amusement at me, I let out a laugh and leaned back against the wall. Sighing, I rubbed my face and looked back at him and tried not to let my internal struggle out.

"A lot more haunted now though." I said, and he crossed his arms at me.

"Ghosts are subjective things Little Mouse. They can guide you through the storm, or they can lead you deeper into it." He replied and I smiled at him, looking down at my feet in thought.

"The ghosts that are in me may kill me someday. I have enough guilt in me at this moment to start a whole new religion right now."

"Don't blame yourself for those things that you could not prevent. It was horrible at best, but you are still here." He said and looked at me seriously. "You still have a fire in you that burns brighter than the sun."

I shivered and tried not to think about Baron Samedi's words, wrapping my arms around myself and looked at him while fighting back tears. How do you tell someone you love how broken you are inside without looking like the weakest yet most powerful being in the universe?

"I am messing everything up. I came here to help, but it just seems like I am just leaving a road paved with disaster in my wake." I sighed and he looked at me sadly.

"The fact that you feel guilt is enough to show that you are not the danger everyone sees you as." He replied and I nodded.

"Yeah." I said, trying to convince myself that I was going to be fine, failing at it as I tried not to let too much show on me. "I guess everyone has ghosts. I am not so different."

Loki stood and regarded me quietly, a soft quality in his eyes as he looked at me and I looked down. I shuddered a bit as he stood there, and looked at my hands, picking under my nails as I looked for a different subject quickly.

"Did you guys find me a working computer?" I asked, successful in changing the subject and he looked at me and shrugged.

"You sent the wrong two people to fetch your required tools, but we did bring back several for you to choose from. They may work." He said and walked over to me, he elbow resting on the wall above my head as he looked down at me. He tilted my head up and his thumb caressed my cheek as he looked into my eyes. My heart skipped a beat or two and I tried to mentally stay focused.

"Next time I will throw Tony down there, and he can bring back what I need." I said and kissed him softly, he returned if as his hand left my chin and his palm slid down my arm and over my side. It stopped at my hip and he gave it a soft squeeze. I broke the kiss to let out a sigh and he chuckled at me.

"Your ghosts are not so terrible that they can harm you." He said and our eyes met again, his hand slid around my lower back and he kissed me again, butterfly soft and he pressed his nose into my neck. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tried not to let myself cry. His arms squeezed me and I pushed back and kissed him again, meeting him in a fire that grew between the two of us.

I pulled back and rested my forehead against his as Tony appeared in the doorway holding up a tablet linked to the cuffs on my wrists.

"No." He said firmly and I rolled my eyes." Your heart rate is all over the place and now I see why. No! Bad, bad, bad!"

"I really hate these things now." I said and groaned into Loki's chest.

"I am going to kill you Stark." Loki said over my head as he stepped back from me and glared at Tony. I crossed my arms and tried to pull myself together and rubbed my face in embarrassment.

"Well, with all that. Just a heads up, Fury has been on a rampage since you uncovered his intern as a spy, and there is a cart of computers out there for you. You going to let me in on whatever you are doing?" Tony asked and I dug into Loki's pants pocket and yanked the necklace out. Loki gave me an awkward look at the sudden presence of my hand in his pants pocket and Tony looked embarrassed.

"I need to access this from a computer not linked to SHIELD, this may have something to do with the Four Horsemen Initiative that Emily told me about before she shot herself." I said and Tony looked at the crystal covered heart dangling from my hand. Steve walked up behind Tony and looked at the conversation between all of us and sighed.

"And what if it is nothing at all?" Tony said and I looked down at my feet.

"Then I need to be snuck out of this building to a Starbucks or someplace with free WiFi. I plan on accessing the Deep Web to see if there is any whispers in Cyber Space about these guys." I said and Steve raised his eyebrows at me, I looked at him and wiggled my eyebrows.

"What is the Deep Web?" Steve asked and I groaned at him.

"You know Steve, I really am starting to feel like I am going to corrupt you." I sighed and rubbed my face again. Tony laughed at my joke, and looked over at Steve casually.

"First thing is first," Tony said and I looked back at him. "Let's see what is on the necklace. If that does not pan out, Steve can drive you and your snuggle buddy there to the local Starbucks. Just don't let the nice police men bring the three of you back."

"You don't want to go?" I said and Tony looked at me.

"I might stand out too much if I go, and you crazy kids look like you could use a Latte. I will give you guys a credit card from my corporate account that you can put food and drinks on. No blowing up the coffee shop because it is not Pumpkin Spice Season though, and no Yoga Pants and Ugg Boots Princess." Tony said and I laughed a bit at him.

"I hate the taste of Pumpkin desserts, I am more of an apple pie girl." I said and crossed my arms.

"Perhaps that tea drink I had in Port Townsend?" Loki asked and I nodded at him and smiled. Loki gave me a smile back and I giggled.

"You really did like that drink did you?" I said to him and he nodded.

"I drink black coffee, but apple pie sounds really good." Steve said and I laughed.

"Well, I could go for a cinnamon roll or an orgasm. Whichever I can get first." I said and Steve groaned out loud at my joke as he walked away, covering his eyes.

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I dug through the computers and plugged two of the laptops in to charge while I worked, I was hard at work downloading a Virtual Private Network as I wiped the hard drive on the second computer. Covering my tracks from SHIELD and Fury, or anyone else who may have been watching me was very important to me at that time. I did not know who I could trust at that point, and I was not about to have an adult record to add to an extensive juvenile record. I put a slice of apple in my mouth and chewed thoughtfully as Loki sat in a chair next to me, watching the download bar quietly as I worked on the laptop in front of me.

I passed him my laptop and we switched off as I sat back while the recovery disc in the computer did its thing. He handed me the other one and looked at the newly wiped hard drive as it reloaded Windows, I tapped away and ate some cheese off the plate of food I had collected earlier.

"This all seems really shady." Bruce said as he walked up behind us and looked over my shoulder at the screen I was working with.

"It is," I said around the mouthful of apple. "Are you sure you want to hang out with us criminals?"

I swallowed the food and looked at Loki, who grinned and tipped his glass of Coke in a mock toast at Bruce as the download finished. I glanced over at the computer in front of Loki as the recovery disk finished installing Windows, and began installing and setting up the VPN on the laptop in front of me, I sat back and looked at the progress bar and sighed.

"What exactly is a VPN?" Bruce asked me and I looked at him as the computer worked.

"It is a a Virtual Private Network, it logs the computer into different and random servers around the world, and generates a random ISP address every time I log onto the internet. It makes the computer I am using hard for SHIELD and the Feds to track back to me, no matter where I am in the world. And where I plan to log onto, you really don't want the authorities knowing what we are doing at all." I said and looked a Bruce as he turned pale thanks to my vague description.

"What exactly are you planning on doing, and where are you going?" He asked and I gave him a knowing grin as I popped a grape into my mouth from the plate.

"Oh this sounds fun." Loki said and I nodded at him.

"I am going to access the Deep Web, and I need to work on Loki's definition of fun." I said casually as if I were talking about shopping on Amazon or Ebay. I opened the browser and began downloading more software using a server farm in Australia. I switched computers again and began entering bootlegged activation codes for the operating systems into the newly recovered computer as Loki watched me carefully. He was genuinely interested in what I was doing, and I turned the screen so he could see what was going on.

"Let me know when that other one is done, I need to restart the computer to finalize the installs I am putting on it." I said to Loki and he nodded.

"How will I know it has finished?" Loki asked me and I remembered he was new to Cyber Space and computers in general so I cut him some slack.

"The computer will tell you." I said and he looked at the screen and back at me.

"Are you going to tell me what The Deep Web is?" Bruce asked as Steve and Tony walked up and I sighed at him and turned my seat around and restarted the computer I was working with.

"I would like to know." Steve said to us and I looked at everyone as they looked down at me. I rubbed my face and tried to think about how to explain to Steve how nasty the world really was, god I was going to corrupt this guy. He so needed a better person than me to be his teammate.

"So we all know what the Internet is right? YouTube, shopping for stuff you don't need, dating sites, and all that obnoxious chat room crap." I sighed and everyone nodded at me and I smiled at them.

"What if I told you all that the cat videos, Facebook, Twitter, even the normal stuff you access every day exist on a very small four percent bracket of the actual internet the is for all purposes called The Clear Web. Which you can easily access using search engines like Google or Firefox, only because it is indexed by those search engines. Their programming only able to recognize .com or .net addresses."

"The Deep Web makes up the last ninety-six percent of the internet, and you can't index or search for it using normal search engines because the addresses are buried under a .onion address. You have to download a special software package to access it called a TOR, and even then access is super risky. The Feds have been trying for years to shut it all down, but it always pops up, bigger and badder." I said and pointed at the computer behind me. Steve looked up at the ceiling and groaned, at my little speech.

"How illegal is all this Princess?" Tony asked and I laughed sardonically. He was not going to like this at all.

"Technically, none of it, if you just look. But, and there is a super big but there, the content is pretty much a Devil's Playground of nastiness. You name it, it is there. You can order illegal drugs, unlicensed weapons, download child pornography, join a terrorist organization, even pay to watch someone get tortured and murdered on a live cam. If that is your thing. If Tumblr is the red headed step child of the internet, this place is basically the creepy uncle at the family reunion that is waiting for you to turn eighteen so he can bang you." I finished and shrugged at everyone as they turned pale, Loki included. They all turned back to me and stared in shock as I sat in front of them in my chair.

"How can any of this exist without anyone knowing about it?" Bruce asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you kidding?" I shot out and everyone looked at me. "Ten year old kids know what the Deep Web is, I'm actually shocked you guys don't know about it. Aren't you guys the freaking Avengers?"

Tony sat down in a chair as Steve looked at me seriously, I began scratching my hand and Loki cleared his throat to draw my attention to it. Bruce sighed and he paced a bit as he rubbed his face with his hand, Loki sat back in his seat quietly.

"Do you have to show him more ways to screw up humanity?" Tony said and pointed at Loki, I shrugged and looked at him patiently.

"Society is already screwed up, it does not need his help. Trust me on this. Besides, I am a fucking disaster most of the time, but at least my ass is great." I said, trying and failing horribly to lighten the mood. "I also now really feel like I am corrupting Steve. Before you know it, he will be playing Cards Against Humanity and doing body shots off of strippers."

I picked up another grape and popped it into my mouth as both Bruce and Steve glared at me. Chewing it and popping another into it, giving myself a chance to think a bit before I started talking again.

"This computer is done doing what you set it to do." Loki said and I turned the chair to restart the laptop. He watched me as I scrolled through commands and finished up everything on that one, running a test to see if it worked.

"Is there anything that does not pop out of your mouth?" Steve asked me and I grinned at him.

"No, which is why I am so damn cute." I said and giggled, Loki gave a snort as watched me finish my test, and shut down that computer.

"I think the hardest part of all this is not how you all refuse to accept that humanity is the apex predator on this planet. So apex in fact that we prey on each other." I said and turned back to them. "Really, the Deep Web has existed for years, and nothing can be done to shut it down. A few years ago, The Silk Road was taken down, but it popped up again under a different owner. Nothing can be done to stop it, only thing you can really do is just take out the people who run it. And good luck with that, identities are well hidden in this part of the web, Which is why I am downloading software to hide who I am."

"How old were you when you hacked the Pentagon?" Steve asked and I laughed.

"Twelve. But in my defense, I needed their servers to run an internet search for the large Hadron Collider. I was doing a research paper and I needed faster servers." I said shrugging and crossed my legs in the chair.

"What happened?" Bruce asked me and I looked down.

"I accidentally shut down the entire building and caused a massive panic. They thought it was another terrorist attack, and I ended up being expelled from school when the Swat Team freaked out and tracked the ISP address back to my school computer. Boy where they surprised to see a twelve year old girl in front of that computer, I thought they were going to shit." I said and shrugged. Loki laughed openly at my story and Bruce groaned in shock.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Loki said and Tony rubbed his face in exasperation.

"In my defense, the servers at the school sucked." I said and looked down. "I was also trying to fix my mistake."

"Well, now that you have described a regular Saturday night for Steve and we have found out how much trouble you really are, how about we see what is on that necklace?" Tony said and sat forward. I turned back to the computer and fished the Swarovoski Crystal covered pendant out of my pocket and pressed the tiny button on the side to release the USB drive. I inserted it into the port on the side of the computer and a menu popped up as I expected. To be sure, I ran a malware check on the drive to be cautious, and it came back with nothing.

"How did you know that was a thumb drive?" Tony asked as I looked at the lines of code on the screen, scrolling down as I searched for anything that may have been off.

"I saw them advertised online once, it is a great way to store your medical history and copies of your identification if you have to. I got one for a friend, and set it up for her, if she ever had an accident where she could not communicate with hospital staff they could just plug the necklace into a computer and they would have everything they needed." I said and closed out the window and clicked to maximize the menu on the screen. I blinked and opened a text document labeled and scanned it carefully. Tony looked over my shoulder and Loki leaned in as diagrams and lines of genetic code appeared. Bruce read it as well and I leaned back in my chair quietly.

"What the hell are Indigo Children?" Steve said and I clicked on another document as various sonograms opened on the screen in front of me. I looked at them carefully, and studied each one. Bruce groaned as he realized what we were all looking at.

"Language Steve." I said and continued to look in shock at the computer screen.

"Genetic Human Experimentation." Bruce said and I scrolled down all twenty-seven sonograms and shook my head.

"These are children in the womb?" Loki asked in amazement as he looked at the images, pointing at the screen and I nodded.

"Yeah, all of them are probably alive today too." I sighed. "This type of research is highly illegal, like massively so. Every nation has outlawed cloning and research that may alter the genetic structure of the Human Genome. There are twenty-seven people out there right now that should not exist because of those sanctions."

I turned away from the screen and looked at everyone, trying to remain calm as I looked at the men around me.

"Indigo Children was a Psuedo Science theory in the late seventies and eighties to describe children that functioned outside of the norm. Hyper intelligent and such, whoever we are dealing with, created embryos and implanted them into volunteers under this research in an effort to create Indigo Children. From everything I read, they gave these children all the traits, intelligence, agility, they even removed the faulty DNA codes that carry cancer. These kids are genetically perfect, they may pass the traits on to their children if they are out in society right now." I said and turned back to the computer, trying to find a date on any of the sonograms or a medical center that would give us a clue to their origin.

"All female too." Tony said and I nodded at him.

"Breeding stock." I said and minimized the windows to return to the menu, I tried to open the last file but it was corrupted.

"Shit." Tony said and I sat back. "Any way to tell what that file was?"

"No, maybe it was a list of the twenty-seven girls, but I can't be sure. It looks like the upload got cut off before completion. All of the names are cut off in the sonograms as well. There is no way to find who these people are, they covered themselves way too well." I said and shook my head.

"What do you mean by breeding stock?" Steve said and I closed out the window, I tuned my chair to face him and he looked at me.

"They are all women," I said and took in a breath. "Many genetic traits are stronger from the mother's side, meaning that if she has blonde hair, the child is more likely to carry the genes for blonde hair. Loki is Jotun on his Father's side and Asgardian on his Mother's, therefore the genetic traits for Asgardian DNA are stronger in him. I'm part Japanese thanks to my Mother, so I am short and good at Math. This person intends to use these girls to breed and multiply the genes that they introduced into society. All of the fetal scans are from the late nineties, that would leave them plenty of time to have children of their own. Still young, in their teens currently, they would have at least one child before menopause, passing on the altered genes to their children."

Bruce looked up and groaned as I glanced around at everyone, I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. The last few days was catching up to me fast and I wanted to scream. Steve shifted and leaned against the table behind him as he looked down at his feet, Tony sat back and sighed. I tapped the toes of my boots on the floor and felt awful for those twenty-seven lives out there.

Twenty-seven girls, living whatever normal lives they chose for themselves, not knowing that they were an illegal experiment. I sighed, knowing that we couldn't rip the carpet out from under their feet, it would devastate them completely. I knew intimately what it was like to find out that your entire life was a lie, and I couldn't do that to anyone else.

"Everything aside about what you both are, what about these girls? What do we do to track them down?" Tony said and I glared at him.

"We don't. Let them keep thinking they are normal, it would be too traumatic for them to find out otherwise." I said and crossed my arms and Tony started to say something and stopped, nodding his agreement.

"Why would she make a copy of this information?" Steve asked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Bargaining chip." Tony said before I could. "If it looked like they were going to double cross her or if she got caught being a spy, she could have used this to save herself and her family."

"Makes sense to me. But they got the upper hand on her, she had nothing to loose by giving it to us freely." I said and opened my hands at him, pressing my lips together as I thought.

"Sadly, the human capacity for cruelty troubles even me." Loki said and Steve looked at him in shock and Tony widened his eyes.

"Me too." I said and made a conscious effort to not scratch the back of my hand as Thor and Tilgun walked in and looked at us, they both took in our grim faces and Thor crossed his arms.

"Is something the matter?" Thor asked and I shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer the question.

"We just found out that the other player here is really horrible." Bruce said and I nodded.

"We also learned that Princess here is a total criminal, who needs to be kept away from the internet for the rest of her life." Tony said and I rolled my eyes at him and groaned. Thor crossed his arms and looked at me and I rolled my eyes up at the big lug.

"I am trying to help." I said and kicked at Tony. "It is not my fault that you jerks did not know what the Deep Web is. Can we focus on our other objective now? We have a Bokor, funded by a terrorist organization who has the resources and money to not only make scary viruses, but also genetically alter embryonic cells to their own sick ends. We also don't know how close the Bokor is to reaching her goals of controlling the universe either."

"Lighten up." Tony said and looked at me. "We will go after the Vodou Queen of New Orleans, but first you need to promise all of us that you will be careful. This whole thing you have planned with the Deep Web sounds scary, even to me."

I let out a long breath through my nose and nodded at him as he looked around the room and I smiled, this whole group really was a team and I was their pet code monkey. We had it all, the skills, the brains, even the powers, really the only thing we needed was a mission and we could find a way to accomplish it.

"I promise." I said and checked my phone for the time. "Starbucks will be closed for the evening, and I still need to set up a dummy email under an assumed identity. I will also copy everything from the USB drive to your server, this way everything is backed up for evidence later." I said and turned my seat toward the computer behind me and turned it off. I pulled the USB drive from it carefully so not to damage it.

"You should probably think about sleep somewhere in there too." Bruce said and I looked up at him and smiled.

"Currently thinking about it. Does that count?" I said and closed the laptop quietly, reaching for the other one. Loki stopped me, grabbing my wrist and I groaned at him.

"You are running on fumes Ms. Hawthorne, and after what you went through today, you really should get some sleep." Steve said and I turned toward him. "I will drive you and Loki to the closest Starbucks at ten tomorrow morning, but you need to go get some sleep first."

"Rogers and I are in agreement." Loki said and I handed Tony the USB drive, he put it into his pocket and I sat back in my chair thinking. I had a good feeling I was not going to get my way tonight, and I was not about to pick a fight to get my way. I was feeling exhaustion creep up on me, I rubbed the back of my neck as I thought about how long it would take me to complete the last few things I needed to get done.

"I have a feeling I am not going to be let off the hook for this one." I said and sat forward. "Give me about half an hour to set up the email account and turn everything off. I really doubt I will be sleeping, will you guys settle for me laying on the bed and trying not to loose my mind?"

"Half an hour, and no more." Steve said and I rolled my eyes.

"O.K. Dad. Don't take away my I Pod as punishment." I said and Tony laughed. I looked at Thor and grinned. "Did you by any chance bring Mjolnir with you?"

"I did, why do you ask?" Thor said and I grinned wider as Tony laughed and clapped his hands.

"Loki made a bet with her, she lifts the hammer and he has to marry her." Steve said and Thor laughed loudly at the both of us. I laughed with them and glanced at Loki who was frowning and I giggled.

"I wish to rescind this wager." Loki said and I turned on him and smiled.

"You can't take it back jerk, we shook hands on it and everything." I said as he frowned at me. I snapped my fingers and grinned at him.

"You did shake on it. Tony and I witnessed it. No backing out on this one." Steve said and Tilgun looked at the both of us and grinned.

"After you are rested, you may make your attempt. I will happily cheer you on as well." Thor said and I laughed as Loki looked at me and chuckled to himself. I pumped my fists in the air and cheered and Tony laughed.

"I am being held to my wager. Is there another planet I might hide on for the next century?" He said and Tony smiled at me.

"You two are awful." Bruce said and I laughed.

"I am so offended right now." I said in mock shock. "I like to think of myself as a special variety of sweet, adorable, intelligent, and completely twisted."

"And this is why I hold doubts I will survive you at times." Loki said and I laughed as I went back to work setting up the email.

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She rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face into the pillow as he shifted to the side, allowing her some freedom of movement as she became comfortable again and settled. Loki rolled onto his side and let out a long breath as she shifted again restlessly and moaned in her sleep. He hoped she was not dreaming of the dead woman whose blood had covered her face. He gently ran his hand over her head and made slow circles down her back as she settled, rooting her hands under the pillow and letting out a long sigh in her sleep as she eased back into comfortable sleep again.

Loki worried about the toll this return to her home planet was having on her psyche, and debated taking her back to Asgard before further damage was done to her. The mind was a fragile thing, and it only took so much before it cracked, no matter how tough the person was. She had faced so much in her life, so much pain, so many long nights of fear as a child. It was amazing she had not broken beyond salvation years ago. A small girl forced through a lonely life, fighting for each place she occupied in the world. Lost and then found as she came into her powers.

She lay in her tank top and underpants next to him now, and he pulled the sheet over her carefully as a knock came from the door. He looked over at it and another soft knock came again. Annoyed he slipped out of the bed and walked to the door, and making sure she was covered before answering it. He smiled at her sleeping form briefly before opening the door and slipping into the hall, finding Tilgun and Thor standing outside.

"How is she brother?" Thor asked, genuinely concerned about Lilliana and he narrowed his eyes at the stronger man, measuring his intentions toward her. He remembered that he and Lilliana regarded each other as siblings, and their bond as friends was reasonable to him. However, he still feared losing the delicate creature in the room behind him to the oaf standing before him.

"She is resting comfortably, all things considered. I only hope she sleeps longer then she has been." Loki replied to Thor and guarded himself against any attack that may come from either of the two men who stood in the hall.

"Good. She is a brave soul, but still fragile." Thor replied and looked at Tilgun expectantly. They both shared a non verbal moment, and Thor nodded and looked back at Loki.

"I wish to discuss a part of the Treaty we had to negotiate with the Jotunheim in your absence. It concerns you, and we hope you find it agreeable." Thor added and Loki looked at the two of them, a tickle of fear creeping into his mind from the knowledge of what he was. His past attempts and offenses against the realm also were on him, and could have weighed against him in the negotiations. He couldn't see why though, it was he who led the negotiations successfully while Thor bumbled through the entire thing.

"What would that be?" Loki asked and looked at Thor.

"The Jotun require an Ambassador between themselves and Asgard, not a terrible request and the Allfather found it to be very reasonable. It keeps the lines of communication open between the realms, and maintains the peace. It required and immediate appointment and Father made the decision to make that Ambassador you. Despite the protests of the Council." Thor said and Loki looked at the two men in surprise, his new responsibility a mantle of trust he had not known for some time and he swallowed. The implications of such an appointment for he and Lilliana weighing on his mind suddenly.

"Are the Jotun pleased with my assignment?" He asked and Tilgun looked at him.

"They are. They are also very pleased with the lasting treaty with Asgard, it ends the conflict and ensures a lasting peace." Tilgun replied and Loki felt a bit of self pride in his new status and frowned to himself.

"There is a complication." Loki said and he motioned toward the door behind him. "Who will continue her teachings? She still needs protection, and I cannot offer that if I am constantly away."

"The Allfather does not see you leaving Asgard often for the Jotunheim permanently, he actually sees you instructing her still when you are not away." Thor nodded at him and clapped him on the shoulder.

"It would be rare that you would be required to leave Asgard." Tilgun said and looked at the door, understanding his concern for the woman beyond it.

"You should tell the Lady Lilliana of your new title, Ambassador Loki." Thor said and he looked at the future King of Asgard and smiled, enjoying the title as he stood calmly in the hall.

"No, let her rest for now." Tilgun said and looked at the door again. "There is time enough for that later."

"Agreed." Loki said and looked at both men and sighed. "I nearly thought there was going to be further mention of an exile or imprisonment toward me in the treaty."

"No, you are needed still in Asgard and Father also made sure to enforce that need." Thor said and looked at Loki, he tried to keep his voice down when the door behind him opened and Lilliana poked her head out into the hall. She blinked at the light and leaned against the door frame, she had slipped her pants on and she rubbed her face wearily and she padded past the men in the hall and into the bathroom. The damaged door frame caused the door to open slightly and they heard her move a shelf that held towels in front of the door. The shrieking scrape echoed off the walls in the hall, causing the three of them to wince.

She emerged a few moments later, following the unmistakable sound of the toiled draining followed by her washing her hands and she waked back toward them. She crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall and blinked for a moment. She leaned into Loki and sighed as she rubbed her face on her hand again.

"Is this an intervention?" She asked and rubbed her nose. "Because if it is, I am so out."

"No Lady." Thor said and smiled. "We were delivering some good news to Loki."

She raised an eyebrow as the both of them and shifted on her feet as she stood up and pushed off the wall and looked at the three of them. Her face became a mask of silent anticipation as she waited for the news.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" She asked and yawned in exhaustion.

"Loki has been named Ambassador to Jotunheim." Tilgun said and she smiled at his half brother. Loki watched her face for any disappointment, but found her smiling in pride for him as she jumped up and hugged him around the neck suddenly. He caught his balance and smiled as he returned the hug quietly. Thor looked at the two of them and smiled.

"I am happy for you." She said into his ear and he smiled as she let him go. Lilliana turned and looked at everyone in the hall and looked down at the cuff on her wrist, frowning as she saw the time and sighing wearily as she looked up.

"Well, I can do one of two things right now. Check Friday and see what my search returned, or try to get a few more hours of sleep." She said and started walking down the hall toward the lab when Loki reached out and caught her arm.

"You are getting more sleep Little Mouse." He said firmly and she turned and groaned, but still smiled back at him.

"You do look like you could do with more sleep Lady." Thor agreed and Loki nodded at him.

"I knew you were going to say that. Looks like I don't really have any say in this do I?" She said and walked back to the door and opened it slowly. She stopped before entering it and leaned against the door frame and looked at everyone in the hall, her eyes tired, but still beautiful.

"Don't celebrate in the hallway boys, I would actually like to sleep. Tilgun, good luck. Asgardians know how to throw down." Lilliana said as she backed through the door, smiling at him as she closed behind her quietly. Loki looked at Thor and Tilgun, shrugging as he looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"I believe we should save our celebrations for another time." Thor said and Tilgun nodded his agreement. Loki stepped in front of the door, and scratched the back of his head, realizing his hair was a mess.

"Yes, I could use the rest myself." He said and waited for the two of them to get some distance down the hall before opening the door and slipping in the dark room. He walked over to the small bed and lifted the sheet, laying back down next to the resting woman. Lilliana stirred a bit sleepily and he wrapped an arm around her as she mumbled a bit and shifted.

"It is me, go back to sleep." He said and she shifted again to give him room, her back pressed against his chest and she turned her head slightly in the dark room. Her eyes sparkled with the minute amount of light that found them.

"Congratulations." She said and hugged his arm. "I am proud of you."

He hid his shock at her words and pulled her tighter to him as he let out a long breath, he had never heard those words directed at him before this night and the soft warmth of her voice gave them so much meaning as a knot formed in his chest. Tears prickled at the edges of his vision and he kissed the top of her head gently and blinked them back.

"Thank you." He said softly and hoped his voice was normal enough to hide the emotion he felt as her breathing found rhythm and she slept. He nuzzled his nose into her thick hair and smiled to himself.

"I love you Little Mouse." He whispered in the dark room and closed his eyes to join her in sleep.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16.

We arrived at the Starbucks as it was just opening, and getting out of the house under Fury's nose was an adventure in itself. I put the readied laptop into a backpack and Steve carried it out to a waiting car Tony had loaned him while I squeezed into the storage compartment of a cleaning cart, which Loki and Thor pushed onto an elevator and took around back to dump the trash. Claustrophobia aside, it was cramped, painful, and I still debate if my spine was ever meant to bend the way I had it hunched.

As they moved through the halls, they bumped over something large and I could tell because the cart jerked suddenly and I tried not to have a full meltdown thanks to my fear of being in small spaces like this. I hissed in pain when my knees banged into my chin suddenly, and tried not to curse and bang my fist into the doors. Not a happy camper did not fully describe my predicament.

I heard Thor talk to someone and clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from breathing too loud and I redoubled my efforts not to freak out in the confining space. I held my breath a few moments and let it out slowly to regulate myself, Thor laughed and I could not hear Loki's voice so I assumed that it was a two way conversation. I screamed internally, trying to will Thor to move on and I wanted out of the space. My muscles were starting to tense and cramp and I was also beginning to shake with fear not only from the claustrophobia, but also with getting caught.

The cart started moving again and stopped another minute or eternity later. The doors to the space opened and I spilled out onto the gravel that surrounded the garbage cans in a painful heap of arms and legs. I brushed my pants off and groaned as I stood up and glared at the two of them. My patience had worn thin five minutes into the adventure and I was debating which one was going to get it first.

"Did you have to hit every single bump?" I groaned and stretched my back as the two of them studied me carefully. I twisted my back and bent over to touch my toes, and heard my knees pop and protest every movement.

"You wanted to be secreted out, and this was the best we could think of." Thor said defensively and I rolled my eyes as him. I put on the Yankees Ball hat that Steve loaned me as Loki adjusted his hoodie carefully, straightening the shirt underneath as he shifted. He looked uncomfortable and out of place to be so casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, but we had to look like just another trio out for a cup of coffee. Even if he had been dressed like this for the last week, it looked weird on him, even to me. He was dealing with it the best he could given the circumstances, but he really needed to get over himself.

"Well, next time you get to rearrange your internal organs and bone structure to fit in there." I said and cracked my spine by twisting myself around.

"Shall we get started before Fury realizes you are gone, or do you wish to complain more?" Loki said and I crossed my arms and glared at him in open annoyance.

"Excuse me jerkface?" I said and Loki groaned back at me. "You do know we are probably about to be breaking several laws here, and on top of that I am really hungry so my decision making skills are not really at their best. Irritating Fury is at the bottom of my priorities right now. I also don't care what he has to say to me, and I now have no problems with setting one of you on fire."

"I believe I am having a bad influence on you." Loki quipped and I rolled my eyes as I pulled the tracking module for the cuffs Tony gave me out of my pocket and started walking through the woods. I removed them earlier and gave them to Steve so we could find our way to the car through the woods without getting turned around. Right now, they were in his coat pocket, and I was getting a pretty strong signal from them.

"I was trouble before we met, you just keep underestimating me." I said over my shoulder as Loki followed me through the woods to the car. We met Steve as he sat parked along the highway in a Jeep Wrangler, his head was tipped back against the head rest as we walked up. I looked in the window and saw his eyes closed, he jumped a bit when I opened the back seat and climbed in. I got comfortable quickly and Steve started the car and sped off down the highway.

"Nice to see you sleeping on the job." I said and Loki grinned in the front seat. Steve sighed and looked in the rear view mirror at me.

"Just remember, I am not completely agreeing with this whole thing." He said and I laughed.

"Hanging out with criminals. This is new for you, don't worry we will make your initiation something easy. Steal a car or rob a bank, your choice." I poked back and heard Steve laugh a bit.

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I glanced around the shopping center and looked at the neighboring Big Five and at the various cars in the parking lot. It was a quiet morning, and coffee shop was surprisingly empty. We walked into the open dining area of the Starbucks and looked around for a table that would accommodate the three of us and found one in a quiet corner near the back of the shop. I pointed at it and Loki nodded, taking the backpack as he went to claim it. He sat down in the wooden chair with his back to one wall as I ordered the most complicated drink in the History of Starbucks.

"Non fat, raspberry white chocolate mocha with whip cream and a half pump of vanilla, topped with one extra shot of espresso macchitto style. We also need a Chai Latte, low foam and a pump of vanilla, both in for here cups please." I said and the girl behind the counter smiled at Steve and he sighed.

"It is coffee, not rocket science. Do those drinks come with little paper umbrellas in them too?" Steve asked me and I rolled my eyes as him and motioned for him to order a drink for himself.

"Just black coffee ma'am." He said and I laughed as he paid for the order and moved to wait with me as the Barista made our drinks. She shot shy glances at Steve as she worked.

"Savage." I joked at Steve as he accepted his cup of coffee. "No one orders plain coffee at a Starbucks, you are committing a crime just by making the poor woman pour it."

He sighed and glared at me as he picked up his mug of coffee and I laughed and shook my head. Steve was a nice guy but definitely a bit vanilla, he really needed to live a little sometimes.

"I listened to your Tori Amos, she has interesting songs. I think I liked her Christmas Music better though. But the one about the little girl running with her ribbons untied was really good." He said and I smiled at him as the Barista put Loki's drink on the counter.

"That song is about her daughter growing up and her rise to becoming a woman in her own rights. I like that one too, she is an acquired taste though. But many of her songs have different meanings for everyone, that is why I like her. She sings from experience, and I like that she is free spirited." I said and picked up Loki's ceramic cup of tea and took it over to him. Loki looked at me and smiled as I set it down in front of him.

"I have to go get mine, can you plug the computer in for me?" I asked him and he nodded as he unzipped the backpack.

"What were you and Rogers talking about?" He asked as he worked and I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

"Tori Amos. I suggested he try her out, not really his cup of tea though." I quipped at him. "Stop being jealous and drink your tea goof."

"Well, I rather like her music, he is a fool. I am not being jealous." He replied and I waved over my shoulder as I walked back to get my drink. Steve was doctoring up his regular coffee and walked back over to me with a few napkins under his arm as I picked up my drink and walked back to the table. Loki had plugged in the computer and was taking sips from his tea as we joined him. I powered up the computer, stopping to dig into the backpack and tearing off a piece of masking tape and stuck it over the built in web cam on the laptop carefully.

"What is that for?" Steve asked me as I set everything up and I disabled Java, double checking I was not connecting to anything I did not want anyone to use to track through the internet back to us. I got flustered and I looked at Steve, pausing and looking at him.

"We are going into a hacker's paradise, they can use the camera to identify who we are. I covered the lens so they can't see us, The Deep Web is dangerous. Not a cool place to take your new Mac Book for a spin. Please try to keep up Steve." I said and Loki scooted his chair in closer to me, watching the screen as I connected to the VPN and then to the WiFi in the Starbucks. Steve stopped me and I looked over at him and sighed.

"How many laws are we breaking?" He asked and I grinned at him widely as I shrugged.

"Keep your voice down, and technically, I still have a year and a half more before I am actually allowed to legally touch a computer again so... a lot of them. But Fury purged my records, so it is still a lot of them." I said and Loki chuckled next to me as Steve turned pale.

"Oh God." Steve said and sipped his coffee. "Director Fury is going to kill us all."

"Sometimes Steve, you have to bend the rules to be the good guy." I said and watched him as he sat back in his chair and rubbed his face. I opened the Tor and began typing my query into the search bar, and gave it a few minutes to load.

The search results for Four Horsemen Initiative came back with several results, and I tried a couple of them at the top. The first two lead me to a dead end, and I closed out the windows before proceeding on to the next ones. The third took us to a pornographic site that specialized in beast and human intercourse, I think even Loki was horrified at what he saw. Looks like some tales in Norse Mythology got it all completely wrong. I closed that one out quickly as Steve turned his head and I blushed.

I scanned through the list, and found a promising link that went through The Silk Road and clicked on it hoping it was nothing more about men and horses. A window opened and we saw a stylized logo of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse inside a ring of fire. Steve and Loki leaned in as I clicked on the logo and it took me immediately into a chat room. I looked at the two men and raised my eyebrows as the three of us saw an indicator appear on the screen. Someone was typing, and we waited until the other user sent their message.

"GREETINGS SINNER. HOW MAY THE HORSEMEN BE OF SERVICE TO YOU?" The unidentified person started with and we all looked at each other. Steve took in a breath and pointed at the screen.

"Tell this person we know they made the virus and about the human experimentation." Steve said and I rolled my eyes.

"You really, really suck at this Steve, we can't just go in with guns blazing. We have to have a bit of finesse, build trust and all that. We need to be a bit more chill about all this, not all Arnold Schwarzenegger Vs. The Predator." I said and began typing my response.

"WHAT CAN YOU OFFER ME?" I typed back and hit enter, looking at Steve as the message sent. Steve nodded his approval and we watched the screen for any indication that the message had been read.

"A PURPOSE OF BEING. BUT FIRST I ASK, WHAT HAPPENED WIHE THE LAMB BROKE THE SEVENTH SEAL?" The response blinked at me and I began typing immediately.

"SILENCE FELL IN HEAVEN." I responded, thanking my Catholic School days for that bit of trivia.

"What is going on here?" Steve asked and I shrugged, waiting for the response as I took a drink of my coffee. I shifted in my chair and sighed patiently.

"I don't know, but I am pretty sure that we just made contact with someone in the organization. Most likely a bunch to religious nuts, and we are being tested. Thank God I took theology at gunpoint in school." I said and licked my lips. I set the cup back down and a Barista walked past us and Steve moved to shield the screen with his body, he bumped into me suddenly and I nearly spilled my coffee all over myself. I rolled my eyes and glared at him.

"You know Steve, nothing says 'guilty' louder than someone trying to cover a computer screen." I said and glanced as the screen to see a reply.

"YOU ARE WELL VERSED, WE ARE IMPRESSED." The response said and I typed the reply out.

"ARE YOU IMPRESSED ENOUGH TO ALLOW ME TO JOIN YOUR CAUSE?" I sent back and was greeted with silence on their end. I tapped my finger tips on the table as Loki sat back and looked at Steve over the top of my head. Minutes ticked on as Steve finished his cup of coffee and I took another long drink from mine.

"Did we lose this other person we were talking to?" Loki asked and I shook my head.

"I don't know. They may be busy, or in the process of switching servers. I can understand Lag, but this is crazy." I said and took another drink from my cup, I licked the whipped cream from my lips and sighed. We waited a moment longer when the indication that the other person was typing came back up and we watched in silent anticipation.

"YOU MAY HAVE ACOLYTE. WHAT DO WE CALL YOU?" The other person and I began typing out my response.

"PROMETHEUS." I typed out and hit send. Steve bumped into me again as he moved suddenly to shield the monitor with his body as another Barista walked by. I groaned and looked at him, finally loosing my cool with him and having enough of his good boy attitude.

"Stop doing that Steve, you are going to make everyone here think we are looking at porn." I said to him in a low voice and he sat back in his chair as I carefully took a casual drink from my cup.

"Didn't you say that any of this is not exactly legal?" Steve shot back at me and I rolled my eyes at him and groaned.

"It is not, but I really don't want to have the staff here looking at me like we are planning a wild, perverted monkey sex party later. I would rather explain that we were taking down a terrorist organization using their WiFi instead of having the cops called because they think we are being lewd in public." I said and he groaned at my sarcastic comment back and narrowed his eyes at me and glared.

"I am really getting tired of your attitude, all you do is make dirty jokes and hide behind them. Can you even go five minutes without swearing?" Steve asked and I pressed my lips together and glared at him as Loki tapped my shoulder. I shrugged him off and ignored him to yell at Steve.

"Well Steve," I hissed at him, and keeping my voice low. "If you can't control your idiotic responses, don't expect me to control my sarcastic ones. It is called a defense mechanism."

Loki tapped my arm again and I spun around in my chair to face him, feeling annoyed. He calmly pointed at the screen and I looked at it, my mouth dropped open in shock. Steve set his cup down and looked around for whoever identified us, and I sat back in my chair.

"Oh fuck." I said calmly and Steve glared at me, I put up a finger in warning before he could chastise me.

"GOOD WHAT DO WE CALL YOUR DARK HAIRED AND LIGHT HAIRED COMPANIONS PROMETHEUS?" The response blinked back and the three of us looked at the screen and around the cafe nervously.

"Oh crud." Steve said and I looked at him as I tried to close out the browser, but none of the commands would allow me access to anything. I hit several other, thinking that the computer had frozen, but still got no response, I typed again and tried opening the Task Manager to see what was going on.

"You covered the camera, how do they see us? Loki asked and I looked around frantically, trying again to end the chat session. The computer continued to not respond to my commands, and I tried not to panic as the cursor moved on the screen by itself.

"I don't know." I said, and my heart started hammering as a file appeared on the screen in the text block for the chat. The cursor moved across the screen by itself and it opened , showing a live feed of the three of us sitting at the table from above. All three of us looked up at the security camera slowly and I heard a ping to indicate that a new message had come through. We looked down at the screen and I gaped in shock at the next message.

"I SEEM TO HAVE YOUR ATTENTION LILLIANA. SHAME ABOUT EMILY SHAW, BUT ONE MUST BREAK EGGS TO MAKE AN OMLET." It said and another file appeared on the screen in front of us in the text bar, followed by two more. The files opened one at at time, starting with mine and followed by Steve's and Loki's. I shook and typed on the keyboard a simple message.

"How did they hack into the security cameras?" Steve asked and I looked at him in a bit of shock.

"The cameras save the video to a computer Steve, if that computer is connected to the WiFi here. Which it probably is, they can log in and see us. How they found us through the measures I put in place is another question, they must have a hell of a fast computer and some really good hackers on their side." I said, trying not to panic as Loki listened. I turned back to the screen and typed out my response to the questions and found that I had control of my computer again.

"WHO ARE YOU?" I asked and the response was instant.

"I LOOKED AND BEHOLD, AN ASHEN HORSE; AND HE WHO SAT ON IT HAD A NAME: DEATH; AND HADES WAS FOLLOWING WITH HIM." The response said and my heart fell into my shoes.

"Revelation 6:8. The one that talks about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." I said and swallowed hard.

"I think we found the terrorists." Steve said and I nodded as a response from the other end was typed in front of us. The three of us watched as it appeared and I closed my eyes.

"I AM DEATH, ONE OF THE FOUR HORSEMEN. I BRING PESTILENCE AND FEAR. DID YOU FIND MY VIRUS IMPRESSIVE?" The response said and I took in a breath as I slipped my phone out of my pocket and sent Tony and Natasha a text. I tried hard to be sly by covering the phone under the table as I typed.

"What are you telling them?" Loki asked and I sighed.

"That we have a problem." I said and put the phone back into my pocket.

"YOUR VIRUS NEARLY KILLED ME." I responded and sat back, drinking the last of the coffee and feeling itchy all over as nervous sweat trickled down my spine. Steve stood up and I reached up to grab his jacket, pulling him back into his seat. He glared at me and I nodded toward the security camera above our head.

"They can see you." I said to Steve and he nodded, my phone vibrated and I looked down at the screen in my lap. Careful again to keep it out of sight of the camera above us and put it back in my pocket.

"Stark?" Loki asked, rubbing his hands together and I nodded at him.

"He said that they are on their way right now." I replied, and Steve nodded.

"DID THE VIRUS SCARE YOU?" The response on the screen said and I looked around the Starbucks, envying the patrons for their ignorance to what was going on so close to them.

"I would not respond to that." Loki said and I sighed.

"If we keep whoever that is talking, we may be able to delay them for when Tony gets here." I said and I sat forward.

"IT TERRIFIED ME. I HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT DEAD CHILDREN COMING FOR ME." I typed out and hit send, waiting for the other person's response. Loki looked at me calmly and I shivered as I sat back in the wooden chair.

"How long will it take for them to arrive?" Loki asked Steve and he shook his head in response.

"I don't know." I said and Steve looked around the cafe as the computer screen indicated someone was typing a response. Loki put his hand on my shoulder and I looked at him.

"This was a really bad idea." I said and Loki gave my shoulder a squeeze and pressed his lips together in thought.

"It was, but you had to try." Loki said and the computer pinged to indicate a response.

"FEAR IS POWERFUL LILLIANA. WHICH ONE ARE YOU MORE AFRAID TO WATCH DIE?" The response blinked at me and my sharp intake of breath got Steve's attention. Loki narrowed his eyes at the computer and I think I almost heard him growl.

"We are leaving, I don't care if they can see us." Steve said and Loki looked at him.

"Agreed Rogers. No arguments Little Mouse." Loki said and folded the laptop screen down he leaned over in his chair to get the backpack when the first bullet struck the plaster wall behind Loki's head. My head snapped around as a picture window exploded and smoke filled the Starbucks, blinding me and making me cough. Steve grabbed me around the waist and ducked behind the counter, I put my sleeve over my mouth and nose to breathe through the fabric as we moved. Steve pushed me ahead of him and I skidded in a bottle of spilled milk on the floor and my back slammed into the counter behind me. I put my back to the mini fridge and used it as cover as more smoke filled the cafe. People began running around, trying to find cover as another barrage of bullets tore through the cafe, making people scream out in pain and fear. The Barista jerked like a puppet in a twisted dance as the flying bullets jerked her about, her green apron becoming soaked in her blood as she fell to the ground.

Loki took advantage of the pause in shooting to run while crouching low from behind the overturned table to us. He wedged himself between Steve and I as the flying bullets started coming through the windows again. Bottles of flavored syrups exploded over my head and I threw my arms up to protect my face while screaming over the noise. I fished my phone out of my pocket to try and contact Tony or Natasha, milk soaked into my jeans and sticky splatters from the bottles overhead stuck to my hands and face.

"How many bullets did they bring?" Loki shouted as I scrolled through the phone and found the entry I was looking for and hit send as another round of bullets tore through the store. The copper loaded projectiles tore chunks of plaster out of the walls and I could hear innocent people scream as they fired on.

"All of them...I think." I said and pressed the phone to my ear.

"We are on our way Princess." Tony said and ducked as I yelped in shock as a bullet tore through the counter next to my head. I put my hand up and tried to stay calm, but my adrenaline was going and my heart was pounding in my ears.

"Great Tony." I said and ducked my head. "That problem I told you about, it just got bigger though."

"Is someone shooting at you?" Tony asked and I ducked again instinctively as more bullets tore through the cafe.

"Yeah, and I am pretty damn sure they are shooting as Steve and Loki too." I said and spotted a small knife on the counter above my head and slapped Loki on the arm as I pointed at it. He reached up and grabbed it, ducking back down as he flipped it over in his hand, testing the weight. He smiled at me and I motioned for him to wait a second.

"How many?" Tony asked and I sighed.

"I am not really in a position to do a head count right now." I replied and Loki turned on his knees and waited for a pause for reloading. When it came, he looked over the counter and ducked back down as the cash register screen took a bullet and he looked at me.

"Five." Loki said and I nodded back at him as he stood quickly during another pause and threw the knife. He dropped back down as more bullets ripped through the space he was standing and I heard a gurgling scream.

"Make that count four." He said as I picked up a bottle of flavored coffee syrup and held it in my hand like a club.

"Loki got one, so four." I said to Tony and pressed my back into the counter as everything went very quiet around us.

"Five minutes, try not to die or anything." Tony said and disconnected. The three of us listened as we heard footsteps coming into the Starbucks toward our hiding spot behind the counter. I held my breath as I could hear the sound of glass scraping under a boot. I slipped the phone into my pocket and hefted my bottle of coffee flavoring by the neck, wielding it like a short club.

Nothing like taking a bottle of coffee flavoring to a gun fight.

I pulled myself up into a crouching position and tapped Steve on the shoulder, pointing at the door to the stock room as the first gunman came around the counter at us. The three of us were cornered and he lowered his rifle at me. I raised my hands slowly and he narrowed his eyes at me over the sight of his rifle, his finger began squeezing the trigger and I had to act. I threw the bottle of coffee syrup and it caught him in the temple hard enough to jerk his head back and send the gunshot over our heads. We watched in shock as her teetered over backwards, his lights out as the bottle of coffee flavoring rolled back toward us and stopped at my foot.

"Good throw." Steve said as he grabbed the shooter's ankles and pulled him toward us. He unhooked his rifle from him and checked it carefully as he tucked it into his chest and looked at me.

"Thanks." I said and the shooter began to wake up and groaned as he stirred. I grabbed the bottle and gave him another good wack across the head with it and he went back to dreamland. Loki looked at me and I shrugged as Steve pointed at our escape route after checking the rifle carefully.

"You two head back, I will cover you." Steve said as Loki and I ran while crouching behind the counter and through the door. We frantically looked around for a rear exit, and were greeted by nothing but a cramped, windowless space. We rounded the corner of a rack and came to the horrible realization that there was no back exit and I looked around frantically for other options. Steve ran up behind us and skidded to a halt as we stood around and he looked at both of us. I tried everything I could not to fall apart, but two spaces like this was too much for one day. I felt my heart go into panic mode and I calmed my breathing using a trick Loki showed me.

"No back door?" Steve asked and I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered.

"Do you see one?" I snapped as him and Steve looked around as the back door opened and a person shot blindly before backing out again. We all ducked and I scooted back to hide under the managers desk in the corner as Steve and Loki separated and ducked behind racks of products. Loki picked up another knife off the sink and held it in his hand, testing the weight again as he moved. I started to scoot out of my hiding spot as panic gripped my throat and caused me to shake, Steve motioned me back. I shrank back and waited, trying not to whimper thanks to being in yet another enclosed space.

Seconds ticked by and the door opened again as one of the shooters tracked with his rifle. He covered every visible inch in front of him as I scooted back further under the desk. Another shooter entered and they both split off, leaving the third one I had beat up to watch the door outside. They walked between the racks toward us and Steve found cover behind a rack around a corner as Loki glanced back at me from his hiding space. We all did our best to stay out of sight, and I trembled thanks to my claustrophobia. Loki looked at me and held his hand up to his mouth as I shivered and tried my best to not scream out in terror.

These guys were not amateurs at all, probably former military or well trained by the horsemen. You could see it in their stance and the way the moved quietly through the space, hyper alert and seeking out any target they could find.

One walked closer to my hiding spot and I looked around me for any sort of weapon but found nothing, so I shifted back and waited. I was doing my best not to cry out as the heavy boots stopped in front of me and a rifle barrel was lowered in front of me slowly. I tried not to think about how much getting shot would actually hurt when Loki sprang from his position and I could hear the sickening pop of the man's neck being broken. The shooter sagged to the ground and I slapped my hand over my mouth as the barrel of another rifle carried by the second man was held to the back of Loki's head. I looked at the pistol on the dead man's hip, but my body refused to move and it was probably a good thing.

"Don't even flinch toward it bitch." The shooter said and I put my hands up in surrender. "I will splatter his brains all over this stock room. Come out sweetheart, nice and slow."

I did as I was told and stood up and looked at the man as he leered at me. I looked around the room for Steve and couldn't find him.

"I got the girl, Eric is down." He said into his radio and licked his lips as he looked at me a bit too long. His stare making me feel nervous and small.

"Touch her and you will die very painfully." Loki threatened and the man looked at him over the rifle and laughed. I looked at Loki and wrapped my arms around myself as I noticed one small detail about him was off and I pressed my back against the rack behind me.

"You are in no place to talk man, and she is cute." The shooter said and shoved the rifle at Loki's scalp as he grabbed himself.

"I plan on doing so much more than just touching her, believe me."

"Where is the blonde?" His companion said as he walked through the door an looked at the three of us. I saw movement behind the shooter, and did not want to give it away, so I looked to the side and pretended to be even more afraid of the man in front of me.

"Don't know man, but look at this piece of ass." The man said as a roar shook the entire building jerking everyone's head around and the real Loki stepped forward and stabbed the knife into the man's side. His double vanished in a green haze as the shooter groaned in pain from the punctured kidney that was slowly bleeding and killing him, Loki grabbed the man's forehead and jerked up on the knife as another roar tore through the building. The wall to my left exploded inward and I screamed as Loki dropped the dead man and moved for cover.

I threw my arms up as a huge green arm lifted me off my feet and jerked me around into a protective grip, turning his back as the last shooter opened up on The Hulk. He put me down near a rack and flipped the desk at the man like a child's toy and both the man and the desk smashed through the cinder block wall. The huge green behemoth turned back to me and growled down at me, I backed into the rack and tried not to scream as his face lowered to mine and I felt his hot breath blowing my hair back. His face softened at me as he lifted me back up and I could see Loki openly panicking as he and Steve watched the massive person carry me away.

He carried me back through the hole in the wall and to the front of the store, I saw Loki and Steve scramble after him and I tried my best to not make Hulk angrier than he was. I looked back and saw Steve pick up the crushed laptop and toss it aside, I looked up at Bruce's face and felt openly afraid as he stalked through the store and into the parking lot.

"Please do not do to her what you did to me!" Loki shouted at The Hulk as the giant looked down at me in his arms, his huge hand patted the back of my head as he cradled me like a child.

"Friend." The Hulk said and he set me down on the hood of a black SUV, Tony watched everything through the windshield and he waved to me as I looked at him in shock.

"You said you were in trouble, so I brought backup." Tony said, leaning out the driver's side window and looking at Steve and Loki. Loki looked at the three of us worried, probably debating becoming the Norse God of Hauling Ass as The Hulk looked at him and grunted.

"I really did not expect him." I said as Hulk turned back toward me, making me feel tinier than I really was next to the massive being. He held his hand up to me and I looked at him and rested mine into his palm, watching as his entire body relax and he fell over. I edged to the side of the hood and watched his form shrink back into Bruce Banner and I flattened out on my stomach to try and crawl off the car.

"Please tell me I didn't hurt you." Bruce said from the ground and I shook my head to indicate no.

"Only one really bad guy who tried to shoot me, you threw a desk at him. I think Loki may have peed himself a bit though." I said and he looked up at me as I stepped down onto the tire of the car and tested my balance. Ambulances began arriving and paramedics filed into the Starbucks to tend to the wounded, I slipped backwards on my stomach and climbed down off the hood as Fury arrived in another vehicle. He got out, fixing his stare on me as he walked forward and I swallowed hard, he paused to look at the remains of the Starbucks and then at Loki and Steve.

"Can you turn back into The Hulk?" I asked Bruce as he stood up and got some new clothes from Tony, he shook his head at me sadly and I shrugged. Tony quickly rolled his window up and locked the doors on the SUV as Fury walked closer. Nice to see Tony had my back in this.

"I hope you have a very good explanation for all of this, because people are dead and I am currently at the end of my very short rope with you." Fury said and continued walking toward me, I tried to become one with the car behind me.

"I made contact with the Horsemen, and I proved they made the virus. These guys are horrible, and shit I am freaking out right now." I said quietly and he glared at me.

"After I gave you a direct order not to go looking for them? After I told you what our main objective was, you just decided to play around my orders and you got innocent people killed. All because you had to be right." Fury barked at me as Tony stepped out of the SUV and looked over the hood at Fury.

"We are all to blame for this, not just her." Tony said and Fury glared directly at him, Tony recoiled a bit and I felt really bad for getting him into trouble.

"One more toe out of line, just one more, and you can enjoy eternity as a vegetable." Fury said, pointing his finger at me and I shivered at the thought. I shrank back against the fender, trying to put distance between me and him as he glared at me. He turned and walked back to his vehicle and paused before getting in, looking at all of us as we stood still and I tried to calm my breathing.

"You his Florida tonight, I suggest you all get some sleep." Fury said as we all looked at each other quietly.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17.

I sat on the bed with my back against the wall and stared at the stuffed bear. I was supposed to be sleeping, but that was probably not going to happen at this point and I gave up trying.

Five people were dead from the shooting at the Starbucks, two of them employees. One person was in a coma and not expected to wake up, and another had his spine severed by a bullet. He would never walk again. The rest of the victims were either injured or severely traumatized, and who could blame them. They went out for a cup of coffee and ended up in hell. The survivors would eventually pickup the pieces and move forward, but I would be living with the guilt of causing the deaths of the innocent for a long time.

The Four Horsemen won this round, but I would catch up to them eventually. I would make them pay.

I looked up at the door as someone knocked at it and rolled my eyes at seeing Tony standing in it, He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at me. I sighed and rested my head against the wall and groaned into my hands as I covered my face, I did not really want company at the moment.

"What?" I asked him tersely and he sighed.

"How are you holding up?" Tony asked and pointed at the chair, I nodded and he walked in and sat down in it, moving Skeletor Sparticus and putting the bear into his lap. That bear was getting around, it was kind of cute and dirty at the same time.

"The best I can after getting innocent people killed or maimed." I replied and he shrugged as I rested my chin on my knee and pressed my lips together. I really wanted to be alone in this, but I had this weird feeling he was not going to take the hint and leave.

"Now I m worried about you, you didn't hide behind sarcasm and eye rolls. Princess, you have to talk about this or it will tear you up." Tony said and I looked up and him and groaned.

"Don't try to be my shrink Tony, you really suck at it." I said and he looked at me seriously and shrugged, leaning forward on his knees and looking into my face.

"I am not trying to be that, just seeing if you could use a friend." He replied. "I don't see your moody shadow hovering over you so, I figured I would just see how you were doing."

"I'm fine, and I told him to go pick on Thor. I really want to be left alone right now if it is alright with you." I said and sat back, folding my legs and crossing my arms as I glared at him.

You don't look fine. Actually, you look kind of like me after a bender." He said, I looked at him sadly and sighed. I glanced at the door and leaned back against the wall as I let out a long breath.

"I got people hurt and killed today, how am I supposed to feel?" I said and he looked at me patiently as I let out another long breath.

"Let me tell you something, and don't interrupt of be snarky." He said and I looked at him as he handed me the bear. "You know how Stark Industries made their money before I became Iron Man?"

"Military Weaponry, everyone knows that." I said and he nodded at me.

"Do you also know the reason why we ended the Military R and D in the first place? Not what the media says, but what really happened?" Tony asked me and I shook my head, not understanding what he was getting at. I was still following what he had to say however, and he sat back and crossed his arms in the chair.

"Something about a hostage situation, you were held by terrorists and other stuff, I was pretty young when it happened, and I did not pay much attention to the news then." I replied and looked at him shrugging, I gave him an apologetic smile at my lack of caring back then.

"There was a hostage situation, and it was bad. They used me to build them a weapon, and I was not the only hostage there. I saw my name written on bombs in their compound, they used a bomb my company developed and manufactured to try and kill me. Stark Industries dealt death and destruction on a massive scale, and I made billions on it. I saw, and talked to the people who my weapons killed or injured. I couldn't live with the guilt my conscience filled me with after that, so I built the suit and became what I am now." He said to me and opened his hands, shrugging and looking at me.

"You did not have a choice to become what you are, but you chose a road that was right for you Princess. You could have gone completely evil and had a chip the size of Nebraska on your shoulder, but you chose to be one of the good guys. That, I like about you, intelligence aside."

"So you made a mistake, you guessed wrong while trying to help. Guess what, even though you have all your abilities, you are still human. You are completely allowed to feel shame or guilt at it, but it will not turn back the clock or bring those people back." Tony said and I looked at him, blinking back tears and swallowing as he looked at me.

"Normal humans don't get other innocent humans killed Tony. They have bad hair days and hit light poles with their cars, they send an offensive email to everyone accidentally, or something else equally stupid. They don't go looking for more trouble when they are already up to their necks in it." I said and the tears I had been fighting burst forth and I cried into my hands. Tony rested his hand on my shin and I looked at him with blurry eyes.

"Yes they do Lilly, and they do it all the time. That Guilt you are feeling now, that sadness and shame for what happened, it tells me that you are one of the better humans out there. Because you are feeling what you do, and you are still willing to continue sacrificing so much of yourself to make things better." Tony said and I blinked at him in shock, I sat on the bed and looked at him quietly. I didn't know what to say, and I put my hands up to my face to wipe the tears away. I buried my nose in the bear and sighed, looking out the window and thinking.

"You see better in me than everyone else." I said and wiped at my face again with my hand.

"I am not the only one here who sees the good in you Princess. And they really sad part, I am kind of rooting for you and Loki." He said and pressed his lips together while shrugging. He folded his hands and looked at the pillow on the end of the bed as he stood up, I rolled my eyes as he pointed at me sternly.

"Get some sleep Princess, that is an order. We need you fresh for tonight, and I want you to stop beating yourself up." He said and I stretched out on the bed and made myself comfortable. I resisted giving him the one fingered salute to be snarky.

"Oh, and that bit about you and Loki? Officially, I didn't say that. Also, you really need to practice naming bears, Skeletor Sparticus is terrible." He turned and walked out the door and I gave him a thumbs up.

"If anyone asks, you said: Suck it up buttercup." I joked and he grinned at me.

"Get some sleep, we need you later." Tony said and I smiled at him.

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Daniel Espinoza pretended to not listen as he focused on cleaning the lab, he made his way back as Mr. Stark walked back in and sat at the computer he had been working at earlier. Dr. Banner worked with a blood sample from the freezer built into the table below him and Daniel watched as he returned the wire tray of unused tubes to the freezer and closed the door. Dr. Banner turned to Mr. Stark as he walked toward the front of the lab and talked with his friend.

"Well, the good news is, none of us is a carrier. Ms. Hawthorne has an A positive Blood Type, and Loki is actually O negative. Interesting enough, but I updated their files in case we need to give blood to someone or they need blood in the event of an accident. How is she doing?" Doctor banner asked as David pushed his mop and bucket closer to the freezer and crouched down next to it, pretending to work on a nasty stain on the tile.

"She is good, I left her sleeping and we talked a bit. Flag Loki's file in case I need something extra, we can harvest him if we drug him again later." Tony said as he glanced back at the computer, Daniel quickly opened the freezer and looked at the vials of blood. Finding the one he was looking for quickly and slipping it into a carefully designed steel case that would keep the vial at perfect temperature until he delivered it.

"Good to hear on that end. You know, she is just trying to help Tony. She really is doing the best she can, despite what Fury says. And I am not helping you get that kidney, she is really possessive. I also should point out that the blood proves that Loki may not be entirely Asgardian, his blood cells were different from Thor's. The replicated faster than normal and so Did Lilliana's, which is probably why they both heal so fast." Doctor Banner replied as Daniel stood up and hid the case on his cart, returning his mop to the bucket. Moving quickly, he left the lab and pushed down the hall to the elevators that would take him down to the storage level. He waited patiently for the elevator to arrive, and glanced nervously at the pile of rags on his cart as people walked past him, busy in their own worlds.

He was fairly lucky in the notion that he was just support staff for the building, he was often ignored when crises like the one today occurred and it was beneficial to him in the long run today. He pushed the cart through the open elevator doors and pressed hard on the button to indicate the floor he wanted and looked at his car again, glancing up at the closing doors that were suddenly interrupted by the hand of Nick Fury. He flinched and nervously moved to the side of the small space to give the intense man plenty of room. Sweat beaded along his hairline and trickled down his back as they descended, but Fury gave no indication at all he knew that Daniel had the blood sample hidden in his cart.

The elevator stopped and Fury got off with a nod toward him and Daniel tipped his ball cap toward the Director as the doors closed and he continued toward storage. He waited as each floor passed painfully slow, four floors took an eternity to descend and he tapped his leg nervously.

Arriving on his floor, he wasted no time exiting the elevator and he pushed his cart toward the Janitors Closet and storage. He opened the door quickly and pushed the cart inside where he changed out of his coveralls and secreted the case with the vial of blood into his lunchbox and began leaving the building, wasting no time. Just a few more moments and he would be out of the building and in his car, then he could drop off the case and be done with this whole nightmare that started a week ago for him.

Daniel hurried across the parking lot where support staff left their vehicles while they worked and found his battered Ford sedan quickly. The key fob was broken, so he could never set the alarm, he needed to get that fixed. If the car ever got stolen, he would be in trouble for not getting to work. He slipped behind the steering wheel and sighed, rubbing his face and letting out another shaky breath, just a few more minutes and he would be done. He glanced up into the rear view mirror and saw the Greek man in the backseat and nearly shouted in surprise.

"Drive toward your home and give no indication that I am here, the tinted windows back here are dark enough to hide me." The thug in the back seat said and Daniel obeyed, turning over the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. He drove down the gravel covered road, the sound of the shifting rock the only sound for several minutes as he tried to remain calm as he steered. He paused for Thor, Loki, Steve Rogers, and the large blue man to cross in front of his car before continuing on his way. He could get their attention, but he was sure that the man in the back seat could end everything he cared about before anything he planned could be stopped if he tried.

"Did you get the sample Daniel?" The man in the back seat asked and Daniel swallowed and nodded.

"It is in the lunchbox. Will you please let my daughter go?" Daniel asked as the man reached between the seats and into the passenger seat. He took the box into the back, opening it and removing the silver case. He set the box in the seat next to him and opened the smaller box, carefully lifting the vial out. He read the label and smiled broadly at the glass vial in his hand.

"Do you know what this is Daniel?" The man asked and he looked in the mirror at the man in the back, his piercing dark eyes staring into the back of his head as he drove.

"A blood sample?" Daniel said and kept his hands visible in the steering wheel, being careful to not upset the man.

"It is the future. Little Conseula will be so proud her daddy risked so much to save her. I almost envy the lucky little girl you have." The man said as he put the blood sample back in the case and closed it with a sharp click. He slipped the case into an inside pocket in his coat and sat back in the seat, looking out the window as if her were a passenger in a cab. Riding through the afternoon as he admired the scenery around him from his seat.

"Turn left here and pull in behind the white Mercedes, do not get out of the car and keep your hands on the steering wheel. I will get out of your car, and your daughter will be returned. You will then wait five minutes before you drive away yourself. Do you understand?" The man said and Daniel nodded, terrified to many a mistake that would get his only child killed.

"Yes, I understand." He said nervously and pulled behind the car waiting at the side of the road as instructed and moved both of his hands to the top of the steering wheel. The man behind him chuckled darkly and got out of the car as David waited, staring at the car in front of him as the man walked to the sleek vehicle in front of him. He opened the rear door of the white Mercedes and motioned for someone to exit, his daughter stepped out of the car and walked back to the Ford. She got into the passenger side next to him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he sat and shivered. The man waved to him and got into the back seat of the car and it drove off and down the road.

It was over, and she was safe.

"Did they hurt you Baby Girl?" Daniel asked his daughter and she shook her head as she looked at him with dark brown eyes.

"No daddy. They gave me lots of ice cream and they let me watch cartoons. I got to play with a nice dog too." She replied and he stayed motionless in his seat. He reached down with a shaking hand and put the car in park and turned off the engine as he waited. He was only required five minutes, but he would give them ten to be safe.

"Daddy, I want to go home and see momma." Conseula said, her dark brown curls bouncing as she settled into her seat and looked up at him seriously, or as seriously as an eight year old girl could. He smiled at her and patted her leg patiently as he looked out the window.

"I know baby, but I want to look at the trees for a bit. I like the woods near where I work." Daniel said and looked back at his daughter, she clicked her seat belt on and sat quietly as the minutes ticked on. He looked at his watch and found fifteen minutes had ticked by as they waited and he reached out and turned the car over.

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A hot flash of light engulfed the car, killing both occupants instantly, fire radiated out and over the roadbed in a terrible yet beautiful spectacle. Soundless to the two people at ground zero, a Park Ranger performing a normal patrol near the Avengers Compound heard the explosion and turned his vehicle immediately around to investigate the source of the sound. He drove up on the still burning car and looked at it in shock as he saw the two bodies, still in their seats and looking like a duo out for a afternoon drive.

The ranger struggled with the radio briefly, eventually finding the button in his panic and called it in. The image of the smaller body burning stayed with him for the rest of his life.

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Stephen Johanasson answered the cell phone in his pocket and brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his jacket. The men he sent in as a warning for the girl that morning had worked. His source embedded inside SHIELD reported that she returned to the compound upset and had fought with Loki, he smiled at the thought of his plan to separate her from familiar surroundings was working. She had gone quiet, and she was still alive.

And now, soon he would have what he need for the next phase of his plan to begin.

"It is done." The calm voice on the other line said and he smiled as he looked down at the incubators in the lab below.

"Thank you Marcel, you have pleased me greatly. And the witnesses?" He asked, his voice calm despite the joy he felt inside.

"Silent." His man said as Stephen caressed the clean glass in front of him and he smiled, knowing that everything was falling into place so smoothly. The assassin was a truly wise addition to their organization, and he was glad he recruited the man, he did not care for money or wealth, he lived for the trill the kill gave him.

"Thank you again. The Horsemen owe you great rewards. Please return to the island, we will have another target for you soon my new friend." Stephen said and disconnected the call. He stood above the lab and looked down upon his team like a proud father, their diligent work toward a new world would not go unrewarded.

His world, built on fire and blood.

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I sat up facing the wall and shook the sleep off of me and rubbed my face with my hand. Still feeling groggy as I lay back down on my stomach and buried my face in the pillow and I tried to find close again. I scratched between my shoulders at an annoying itch and heard a soft chuckle from the chair next to the bed and my head popped up quickly. I looked over at Loki as he sat in the chair, reading a book and smiling in amusement at the pages.

"What is so funny?" I asked him and he turned toward me and smiled as he closed the book on his finger and walked over to me, sitting on the side of the bed.

"Nothing, just amusing myself with this book I found lying about." He said and rested his hand on my back gently. I reached out and turned the book in his hand to read the spine and read "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo." I let it go and smiled at him as I rubbed my face again and sighed.

"That is a really good book, I've read all three. The last one was sad, but I think the second was the most exciting out of all of them." I said as he looked down at me and his hand started making slow circles on my back. I shifted and moved until my hip was against his butt and I thought about nothing in general, but still worried about the next few hours. One step at a time, we would make it.

"I like the Girl. Lisbeth, she reminds me of you." He replied and I rested my cheek on my crossed arms and relaxed into the combined sensation of his hand and voice. I allowed my brain to just drift, not really connecting to any thought in particular as I closed my eyes. Hi fingers gently massaged down my spine and it felt really good as he worked his thumb into a few tender spots, gradually I let my eyes droop a bit and I relaxed further and smiled over my shoulder at him.

"I hope she reminds you of me in a good way. And if you stop, I swear I will dump you." I said and looked at him out of the corner of my eye as he set the book in his lap and continued working down my lower back, his thumb finding a tight spot and working into it gently.

"She is resourceful, very intelligent, is able to think quickly, and does not openly care about what others think about her. I appreciate the inner strength she has, and her vulnerability." He said as something worked loose in my lower back and I groaned at the release. This guy could do some amazing things with his hands, and I really wanted to thank whoever taught him these tricks.

"All your better qualities, but your compassion and empathy is quite possibly your best ones." Loki said and he rolled me over and I smiled as I took a few play swats at his hand.

"Fury just thinks I am a pain in the ass." I said and he looked down at me and sighed as I pulled his index finger and wove my fingers in between his. He chuckled down at me and I looked up at him from his hand, he squeezed my hand in his and I sighed at him.

"I can assure you, he despises me more Little Mouse. You don't have the problematic past with him that I have. And you pointed out weaknesses in his very carefully constructed world. He is now more occupied with finding the rest of the dangers that surround him." He said as he pulled his hand back and looked down at the black jeans he was wearing and sighed. I laughed and he looked back at me and raised an eyebrow as he leaned over next to me and wrapped his hand around mine, his thumb found my knuckles and rubbed them as he gently held it and I let out a contented sigh.

"I still messed up." I said and I could feel him laugh a bit as he let go of my hand and tapped my forehead with his finger.

"Everyone makes mistakes, you said that yourself." He said and I looked up at him and smiled. "The only question is if you learned from yours."

"I did." I said and shifted closer to him, wrapping my arms around his chest and giggling. "Do you know how absolutely sexy it is that you actually listen to what I have to say? That is like super hot."

He laughed as he turned and returned the hug, nuzzling the top of my head gently as he gave me a gentle squeeze.

"You have many interesting things to say, I don't want to miss the opportunity to hear you say them." Loki said and I blushed as I hugged him tighter and he chuckled.

"Now you have really put a lot of pressure on me, I feel like I have to say something really profound and meaningful right now." I joked and he laughed at me in the dimming room, Loki pinched my chin and tilted my head up as he smiled down at me and I knitted my brows together as I regarded him.

"You don't have to." He said and I smiled up at him as he pulled me back toward him. I sighed and listened to his heart beating in his chest, just enjoying the closeness as a knock came from the door frame. I shifted and looked up with Loki to see Steve standing in the door, looking at the both of us. I groaned and cursed myself for not closing the door as I pulled at the pillow and got ready to throw it. Lucky for Steve, it was caught under Loki's elbow and I couldn't get it free.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but there is food if you want some." Steve said and my stomach answered for me, embarrassingly loud in its announcement.

"Thank you Rogers, I believe that one of us is rather hungry at the moment." Loki replied and I raised my hand and laughed as I hid my face. Steve smiled back at me as he walked down the hall, my stomach gave another loud grumble, and I laughed and looked down at it.

"Shut up down there." I said and Loki laughed at my annoyance as it gave another grumble at me.

"Let us get you something to eat, you sound starved." Loki said and I rolled my eyes at him as a joke, he looked down at me sternly as he got up and held his hand out to me. I put my hand in his and let him help me up off the bed and slipped my feet into a pair of low shoes as he watched me. I sighed, feeling stressed out and hungry, mostly the latter.

"I really hope Fury is not out there, the last thing I need is someone threatening me as I try to eat something. Nothing kills your appetite faster than being hovered over by a guy who wants to put you in a coma." I said sardonically as we started walking down the hall together, the smell of hot food making my head spin a bit and my stomach grumble at me again. I let my nose guide me and took a deep breath of the scent of food and spices that mingled with the undertone of clean in the hall.

"Your stomach sounds like and irritated Bilgesnipe, when did you eat last?" Loki asked me and I shrugged, not really sure myself when I did actually have a good meal and not just a snack or something in passing. I looked at him and felt a bit bad for neglecting myself as he rolled his eyes at me and sighed.

"Sorry, It has been a busy few days. Sleep and showering became major luxuries to be honest. It is not like you have not been here." I said as he grabbed my hand and led me down the hall to get something substantial into me. I tolerated the non verbal scolding because I did need to pay more attention to myself, I was going to get sick if I was not careful. That is, if I could get sick.

The common room was somewhat chaotic as we entered, Tilgun sat in one corner with Thor and they talked among themselves as they both ate. The table next to them sat six soldiers who kept sneaking glances at the large Frost Giant and Thor as they ate. Two of the soldiers looked up at us and I tolerated their curiosity as I walked through with Loki. I pulled my hand back and waved to Thor and Tilgun briefly.

"Babe alert!" One soldier said as Loki and I walked in and past their table. All the men at the table fixed their attention on me as I walked by, some of them looking a bit too long for comfort as I stood in front of the makeshift buffet of food. I picked up a plate and loaded it with some food and walked back over to the table with Thor and Tilgun, pausing to wave politely at the soldiers.

"Gentlemen." I said politely and they all grinned at the sound of my voice as I continued my trip over to my two friends.

"You look well Lady." Thor said and I raised an eyebrow at him as I stabbed a green bean with a fork and sighed.

"Seeing as how that is the third time I have ever been shot at, I will take it as a compliment." I said as I chewed and drank some of the orange juice I had grabbed. Loki sat down next to me and began eating himself from a plate with a sampling of food from the hot plates. I frowned and noticed that some of the soldiers had become quiet and felt nervous, I looked over at the table and they all sat huddled around one phone. They were watching something on it and looking down in baited anticipation and felt the nervousness dissipate. I shrugged and went back to eating and glanced at Tilgun, he sampled an apple and gave an indication that he liked the fruit as he ate more. His huge hands picking up the pieces of food with the small fork as he tried an orange slice.

"How are you holding up Tilgun? This climate has to be really uncomfortable for you." I said and he looked at me with his red eyes as Thor and Loki glanced at me. I started to think I committed a serious offense when the large man looked at me and gave a low rumbling chuckle, I relaxed a bit and he regarded me again patiently.

"Thank you for your concern," He replied and a gravely voice. "But I am adapting to this realm well. I find it fascinating as well, there is so much green."

I nodded as he looked at me and I gave him a smile as the table next to us burst into cheers. I jumped and choked on a mouthful of meat and washed it down with a sip of juice from the glass in front of me.

"Men and sports." I said and rolled my eyes.

"Your warriors are quite proud of their transport, a remarkable machine." Thor said and he looked over at the table.

"They are less disciplined than Asgardian Soldiers though, and rather loose tongued when they speak, but still brave and filled with pride in their position." Thor said and looked at Loki. He sighed and rolled his eyes but humored his brother, I gave him a nudge and he looked at me.

"It is different here Thor, maybe they can tell you some stories of the war in Afghanistan or Iraq. They face a harder battle than Asgard, Earth is more prone to conflict than Asgard. We don't have cooler heads running the various governments here, in a way I respect Odin for keeping Asgard from war for so long." I said and he regarded me quietly. I sighed thinking of the day the Towers fell, knowing that Human Beings had done that. Everyone thought we were going to nuke someone in a country we had never heard of, and the fear that we would resort to ultimate brutality became very real. Cooler heads kept their wits about them, and we did not punish an entire population for the sins of the few.

"True words Lady."Tilgun said and I smiled at him. "You would be a wise council for your thoughts."

"Thank you Tilgun, but I am not really one to mess in politics. It is not really my thing, I leave it to the boys." I said around a mouthful of potato and he nodded at me and frowned.

"Fury says that we are to leave at sundown. Do you require any more rest?" Thor asked and I shook my head to say that I didn't. I actually did fell rested and I looked up as Steve walked in and waved at the four of us. He nodded to the table of soldiers as he picked up a plate and selected food for himself, he paused briefly in debate as which table he should sit at and he ended up walking over to us. I scooted my chair closer to Loki and gave him room to drag a chair over and sit between Thor and I.

"No, I am just really hungry right now. It is easy to fix." I said and smiled at Steve as he shoveled food into his mouth. I giggled at his table manners, and he straightened up a bit as he looked at me.

"Someone is hungrier than me. Anything new that I missed while I was out?" I asked Steve and he shook his head as he continued shoveling food into himself. He laughed around a mouthful of steak and potatoes, and looked at me as he chewed happily.

"No, but Fury says he will be coming along with us, he wants to observe the trip this time around." Steve said and I groaned, everyone looked at me and I tried to push my plate away. My appetite officially took a nose dive at the mention of Fury. Thor pushed it back in front of me and made motions for me to eat.

"I lost my appetite." I said and all four men around the table looked at me in annoyance. I rolled my eyes and picked up my fork, lifting a carrot to my mouth and Loki smiled at me as I chewed the vegetable.

"Sorry guys, I think it is my fault Fury is wanting to baby sit now. I really screwed up big time." I said and looked down at my plate, pushing the food around it and sighing.

"It really isn't your fault alone." Steve said as he looked at me. "We all kind of got into trouble for this one, so don't worry too much about it. We all played a part in this."

I smiled and nodded as I cut a potato chunk into smaller pieces and chewed a bit of it as I thought about everything, the other table laughed loudly as they looked over at us and we all turned to look at the Soldiers. They got quiet again when they noticed us staring at them and they turned back to their plates, continuing to talk among themselves and laughed low again.

"Anything wrong over there boys?' Steve asked them and they all looked back at us and one smiled smugly at me as he nodded at me.

"Just trying to figure something out here sir." The smirking soldier said as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"And what would that be Specialist Edgecomb?" Steve said, and the man responded quickly.

"Her." The Specialist said as he pointed at me. "We know all about you guys, but what is with her? Beyond that great ass."

Thor stood up immediately and Loki swiveled in his chair, I reached out and grabbed Thor's clenched fist and put my other hand on Loki's shoulder. I tried to calm them both back down and Loki looked up at me and I saw his eyes flash red as the calm control he kept dropped for a second.

"Mind your tongue mortal." Loki warned and glared at the man, the Specialist put his hands up and feigned an apology as he turned away from us and returned to his friends. Thor sat back down slowly and we returned to out food when the Specialist decided to be cocky again.

"Great tits too." He said and I closed my eyes in annoyance, bracing for both Loki and Thor to clean the floor with the idiot. To my surprise, it was not Thor or Loki who acted in my defense, it was Steve. He stood up quickly, tuning over his chair and it clattered to the floor as he stalked over to the skinny soldier.

"You were warned Specialist." He said as he got into the man's face and dragged him out of his chair by the collar of his shirt. "You do not talk about a lady like that. Now get out of here and think about how you disrespected that uniform through your conduct."

Steve shoved the soldier toward the door roughly and glanced at the other men sitting at the table, they returned to their respective cell phones and tried not to look over at me again. Feeling uncomfortable, I pushed my food around my plate again as Steve set his chair back up and sat down. He pushed his slice of apple pie in front of me, and I took another bite of green bean and chewed silently. Loki looked at Steve over my head and nodded at the other man in appreciation of his actions.

"That was respectable of you Rogers." Loki said and Thor nodded.

"I do not like when men act like that." Steve said and he looked at me. "That pie is really good, enjoy it."

I laughed at everyone's pushing me to eat and blushed as I took several mouthfuls of food quietly and chewed as the sun sank lower on the horizon. The other table got up and left the room as Fury walked in, looking at our table as he walked up behind me and stood over me. He hovered a bit too close over me and tried my best to not to freak out, I cringed and set my fork down quietly.

"Two hours." He said and I could feel his eyes drilling into the back of my head, the food in my mouth turned to paste and I felt my stomach churn. "Try not to make me angry tonight."

I shrugged my head down into my shoulders and studied my plate as he turned and left, Steve nudged me and pointed at the slice of pie and I slid it back over to him as I swallowed the tasteless mass in my mouth.

"My appetite really is gone now." I said gloomily and sighed into my hands as I covered my face.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18.

Leonie followed the red haired woman through the open aired market as the sun set over the humid streets, so far she was unnoticed and she intended to keep it that way. The woman looked at various vegetables and items that overflowed the farm stands and spilled out of their respective baskets in silent offering, the woman in her own world as she moved and selected her fruit. She shifted her load and cradled her bouquet of flowers in her arm as she paid for a few apples and smiled blissfully as she accepted her change and her new bag. It was going to be difficult for Leonie to take the soul of this one, but she was running out of time and she could not wait for Legba to find her another.

She followed the woman through the market and to her car which was parked next to her large white van, the woman stopped suddenly before entering the parking structure. It made Leonie pause and duck behind a pillar, she remained unseen from her hiding place and observed the woman from around the concrete structure. The woman looked around nervously, checking between the other parked cars and glancing over her shoulder before shrugging and walking on toward her car. Leonie resumed following her after a few heart beats, preparing an either soaked rag as she walked. She had to be careful not to spook the woman again as she put the bottle back into her bag.

The woman opened her trunk, humming a soft tune to herself, never hearing Leonie approach behind her. The rag covered her nose and mouth and the woman gave little struggle as the fumes worked on her, she simply sagged and closed her eyes.

Leonie moved quickly, closing the woman's trunk and dragging her limp form over to the van where she hefted the woman into the center of the circle she had already prepared in the cargo area ahead of time. No time could be wasted, and she immediately began after closing the rear doors and locking them behind her.

No one would hear or see the last moments of the Red Haired woman.

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Agent Phil Coulson stood in the parking garage and sighed to himself as he looked down at the sheet covered body left behind the owner's car, the pretty red haired woman as he felt the loss. He heard a child sob behind him and the turned around, looking at the woman who found the victim. She was comforting her daughter as they both sat, watching various agents work. Coulson let out a long breath and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked down at it, debating making the call he was needing to.

Some decisions were difficult, this one was nearly impossible.

Fury spent most of the day mopping up the mess at the Starbucks that Loki and the girl created, dragging Steve Rogers into it in their recklessness. The Director was in a really bad mood to begin with but to also find out that this woman had struck again, killing another innocent victim was going to cause his boss to go into cardiac arrest. Especially since this one was done in broad daylight.

The Coroner walked past him as he debated with himself, pulling a gurney with a black body bag neatly folded on the end of it. He lowered it carefully, arranging and opening the black body bag as his assistant gingerly worked to lift the poor woman. Showing so much respect as they tucked the sheet around and under her, carefully lifting her up and into the bag, they even made sure that her hair was out of the way of the zipper before closing it up quietly. The assistant buckled the straps around the bag and they quietly removed their gloves and lowered their heads together and said a quick prayer for the woman.

Coulson smiled at the respect the two men showed the woman and turned away to let them finish their work undisturbed. He sighed and looked at the phone in his hand again, continuing his personal debate. He made his decision and scrolled through his contacts, pressing send and knowing that not telling Fury soon would make matters worse for himself. The phone rang twice and Fury answered it

"Please do not make my day any worse." Fury said and Coulson closed his eyes, Fury's voice was filled with stress, and he knew which two people put it there. He closed his eyes and tried to think of a way to make the coming blow easier on the man speaking with him.

That damn girl.

"She struck again." Coulson said, nearly regretting what he just said. He could hear Fury take in a long breath and could picture the man trying to hold his emotions together. In the background, he could hear people moving around and the distinct sound of rotor wash, Coulson hated himself for calling now with this news.

"She is up to eighteen out of the twenty, this does not make my day better. We are leaving in two minutes for the third site, make sure you record everything. And I mean everything. You find a dime on the ground, bag it and tag it." Fury said and Coulson could hear the exhaustion seeping into his friends voice as the stress left it. Mentally he cursed the girl and Loki, no one should be cursed with the two of them but they seemed to be.

"I know you have had some problems with certain members of your current team, maybe this was not the best time to call you." Coulson replied, he looked at the mother and daughter as they gave their statement to a Field Agent he had personally picked for the compassion this person could offer. The calm Agent nodded his head and took a plastic package of tissues out of his pocket and offered them to the two women as he continued to take down notes, he was the right choice in Cooulson's mind.

"There is never a good time for any of this to happen, but it still is happening. All we can do is stop it before it spirals further out of control." Fury said as Coulson turned and started walking toward his vehicle.

"Do you still want me to put the team on standby for the girl and Loki?" Coulson asked as he heard Fury sigh and say nothing. He worried for a moment about the Director and waited before opening the car door, this was not normal for him, the Director of SHIELD he knew made decisions fast and he was used to having orders to pass down. He walked away from the black SUV and stepped outside the parking garage when a bit of graffiti caught his attention, it was a crude stencil on a pillar of a ring of fire with four men on horses in the center.

"No." Fury said and let out a breath. "Have them stand down, but hold off on Loki's records, we will continue to use him against her should we believe that she may become troublesome. She is being cooperative at the moment, and I will assess the situation on a need to know basis."

Coulson looked down at the key fob in his hand and he clicked the door unlock button, he nodded to himself and paused a second longer before turning to walk back to his car. His thoughts were filled with questions, but he managed to save them for later, Fury was busy and needed to focus his attention on the mission he was currently on.

"Any particular reason you want us to hold off on her?" Coulson asked the biggest question on his mind, feeling somewhat annoyed that Fury went soft on the girl and Loki. If he had his way both of them would be in a dark hole, but it was not his choice ultimately.

"We currently have several leaks in SHIELD, I would like to use her to expose them. She also has knowledge of a part of the internet that our Agents do not know how to navigate, that is very useful to me." Fury said and his blood went cold at the thought of this organization having people within it, feeding information to the outside world. He looked back at the graffiti and shook his head in sadness.

"I was told about Shaw, what makes you think there are more?"

"Call it a hunch." Fury said and Coulson turned in time to see his vehicle explode in a ball of fire, she shock wave threw him back onto the hood of a blue Prius and the windshield spider webbed under the combination of his weight and the force of the concussion. The wind knocked out of him as he landed, and he took his time sitting up and caught the breath he had lost.

He sat up painfully, wincing and slowing down to baby the injured muscles in his back. He tested his spinal cord for any damage by wiggling his toes in his shoes and felt relief wash over him as they cooperated. There was a ringing in his ears, but that was just annoying. He carefully sat up as people ran toward him and he looked at the cell phone that was still in his hand and put it up to his ear.

"I have to go sir, my car just blew up." Coulson said calmly as if his Grandmother had just knocked on the door and ended the call. He put the cell back into his jacket pocket and straightened his tie neatly before sliding off the hood of the Prius and standing up. Worried Agents stared at the man incredulously as they looked from the car to him, not masking their shock as he smoothed his jacket and walked toward them as if it were just a minor fender bender and not an assassination attempt.

"Check all your vehicles carefully before unlocking the doors, SHIELD has been compromised. I want a complete list of all Agents working his scene, and I want it yesterday. Document that graffiti on that pillar over there. Someone pretend they have a purpose and find me another car." He said calmly and all the Agents jerked into action around him as he folded his hands behind his back, ignoring the pain that radiated out from his spine. He would chew some aspirin later and hope for the best. If that did not work, He would pay a visit to the Chiropractor.

His phone rang, catching his attention and he pulled it out of his pocket. He glanced down at the cracked screen and frowned. Seeing it was Fury, he answered the phone and took a deep breath.

"Colson." He said and mentally winced at some pain in his shoulder.

"I am glad you are still alive, but I need to know of there is any evidence that may point us to who did this." Fury said and Colson walked back to the pillar with the graffiti and looked at it. Making quick judgment call, he decided it would be pertinent information to share with the Director and nodded to himself.

"I am sending you a picture now." Coulson replied and took a quick photo of the circular design with his phone, hoping the camera was not damaged in the blast. He breathed in relief as the clear picture displayed on the screen, sending it off immediately and pressed the phone back to his ear.

"Got it." Fury replied. "Please avoid getting yourself killed again."

"I would like to avoid that myself. Good luck on your end sir." Colson said as he returned to supervising the Agents as they worked. A tug at his jacket made him look down and he saw the little girl standing next to him, her eyes wide as she looked up at him and he smiled down at her. She offered him the plastic packet of tissues and she pointed at her head above her eyebrow. Coluson put his fingers to the spot and found a small cut. He took one of the tissues and patted the girl on her head as he dabbed the cut.

"It is not safe for you here honey, go back to your mommy." He said and the girl nodded and turned away. Toddling back to her mother who looked on in shock at the scene.

It was going to be a long day.

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I really hated to admit it, but I missed the jet.

Yeah, the Chinook was larger, and we could bring Tilgun along with us, but the jet was a smoother ride and I was not constantly being eye humped by Specialist "Pervert" Edgecomb in the seats further down from us. Fury had noticed him staring and glared at the soldier openly after disconnecting a call on his cell that made him look troubled. Thor put himself between me and the soldier, not completely oblivious to what was going on.

I sat in the seat and leaned over onto Loki's shoulder, sighing and feeling every minute of the last few days on my shoulders. He lifted his head from the wall behind him and pointed at Tilgun, the tall giant looked out of one of the windows. He was watching the landscape below us with fascination. His red eyes looking down on the buildings below us as the double rotors of the helicopter pounded through the night sky. He crossed the floor and sat back down in the center of the carrier and looked at me. I smiled at him as he shook his head in the calm before the coming storm.

"Fascinating buildings Lady." He said and I nodded my head in agreement.

"Some of them are." I said back and smiled at him widely. "You will have to tell me what the buildings in Jotunheim look like."

"You may come to the Jotunheim any time, I will guarantee your safety until you leave." Tilgun replied and I looked at Loki excitedly, he snorted and sighed openly. I rolled my eyes and gestured toward Tilgun and Loki regarded me out of the corner of his eye.

"I still do not believe it is safe." Loki said and I frowned at him, he looked over my head at Specialist Edgecomb and shot him a cold stare that would have terrified anyone if they casually saw it. I groaned and looked at Thor, he crossed his arms and shifted to the side to block the view.

"Ignore him." I said and he looked down at me. "He is only doing it now to provoke everyone. He knows he can't touch me, so he is just trying to be ultra obnoxious."

"I can still wish him a very painful demise." Loki said and sighed. I smiled at him as Steve walked by and stood next to Thor, the both of them talked low and something Steve said made Thor chuckle. They both crossed their arms and spoke more, the both of them becoming a living barrier between me and the asshole down the chopper. I waved to the two testosterone factories and they waved back and I laughed to myself, Steve gave me a thumbs up and I returned it.

"I think you just got some help in keeping that guy at bay." I said to Loki and he looked at Thor and Steve standing and blocking the view. Tilgun looked at the two men and nodded up at them in gratitude, I smiled a bit and relaxed it was nice to not have his eyes on me anymore.

"Honorable." Tilgun said and turned back to us.

"Very." Loki agreed and gave a nod to Steve and Thor appreciatively and narrowed his eyes at the soldier again in challenge. I sighed and closed my eyes as I leaned against Loki, shifting a bit to get comfortable when I heard someone clear their throat sharply above me. I opened my eyes to see Fury standing over me, pinning me with his good eye and I looked up at him nervously. Everything about his demeanor said that I was in deep shit again with him and I swallowed hard. I braced for the ass chewing that was on the way, and I looked down at my feet.

"Yes sir?" I asked him nervously, knowing full well any sass or attitude would just dig the hole I was currently in deeper.

"Your Voudou Practitioner killed again, bringing the death toll to eighteen. Another innocent person killed because you had to go off on your own and play with fire." He said to me and I looked down and tried not to scream. I was in some really deep shit, and I was lacking a shovel.

"Also, one of my Agents and good friends was nearly killed when a car bomb detonated, Had he not been speaking on the phone with me about the latest victim, he would most likely be dead." He finished and I looked up at Fury and felt the weight of my actions come crashing down on me. I looked up at him and pressed my lips together in thought, knowing that judgment had been passed on me and it was now time to pay the piper.

"Let me just finish this, I will go without a fight. At this point, I am amazed you have not already started prepping my cell, or hospital bed." I said and he looked at me strangely, I sighed again and Loki put an arm around me protectively. Fury crouched down and handed me his phone, I reached out and took it from him and frowned in recognition. I looked at the picture taken at the scene, it was the same stylized symbol as the one I clicked to take me into the chat room.

It's them." I said and he nodded as I handed him back the phone. I glanced at him nervously, and I felt the arm around me tighten, fro what reason, I am still not sure.

"Thank you." Fury said and stayed in front of me, I looked at him quietly, he stood back up and turned to walk away. I tried not to let anxiety creep back into my head, but it uncoiled and slipped into my brain as my fears all crept back in. Hesitating, he turned and looked at me sternly.

"Specialist." He barked out and I jumped, his eyes on me and the asshole of a human being stood up. "If you so much as breathe in Ms. Hawthorne's direction, I will have no qualms of allowing Loki to show you the exact meaning of the word boundaries."

I went speechless as I gaped at Fury and sagged back in my seat, Loki chuckled to himself in amusement. I did not want to know what he was picturing in his head, but I imagined whatever he wanted to do to the Specialist was nasty. I practiced every meaning of the word "restraint" in an effort to not flash the soldier to give Loki the reason he needed to not mess the guy up. But, getting out of the Ballistics Vest under my shirt would be a giveaway that I was poking the bear, I doubted I would get the shirt off before someone stopped me. I felt a tiny bit of disappointment, the guy was so asking for a beat down from the Norse God of Overprotective Boyfriends. Instead, I gave him a smug smirk and the soldier glared back at me as Thor and Steve continued their conversation.

"Ms. Hawthorne," Fury said to me and I looked at him, worried he knew what I was thinking. "When this current mission is closed, I would like for you to act as a consultant on the matter of the Four Horsemen. You seem to have an expertise that I am in need of."

"Sure," I said and looked at him in a bit of shock. "What do you want from me?"

I couldn't believe what I just said as soon as it came out of me, but part of me really wanted to get these guys and I could see that Fury was currently growing personal vendetta against them as well. He would just have to get in line, I had a head full of horrors that gave me dibs on the beat down I wanted to bring to them.

"Later." He said and I nodded up at him as he turned, pausing and looked back. "That Agent that was nearly killed today is my friend, I have known him for a very long time. Focus on your current mission."

"I am glad he was not hurt, and I am sorry I started this. I shouldn't have tried to contact them on my own." I said and he stopped me, shaking his head.

"They would have been after us eventually. You opened the door for us to find them, perhaps your actions pointed us toward them." Fury said and walked back to his seat quietly, glaring more at the Specialist as he moved. Tilgun looked at me and I shook my head, processing what had just occurred.

"What was that?" Tilgun asked and I looked at him and smiled.

"He just forgave me and admitted he needs my help." I said and sighed. I looked over at the grouped soldiers and started to feel sad that all of this was starting to fee like routine to me. Like a general acceptance of my new life and how I could expect it to continue to be had just washed over me, I was missing being somewhat normal as well. I wondered what would happen if I went back two years and stopped Thor and Loki from finding me, and the place I would have ended up was not a good one. I closed my eyes ans scratched at the back of my hand nervously when I felt a cold stab through the knee of my pants, causing me to jerk and open my eyes suddenly. I looked down and saw Tilgun poking me with his finger and I looked over at Loki, he made a motion of scratching with his hands and I groaned as I rolled my eyes.

"Not you too!" I said and Loki chuckled at my exasperation. "You recruited him to pick on me about it? I can't win!"

"You could always work on breaking yourself of this habit." Tilgun suggested and I laughed and nodded to both men. Steve and Thor stopped in the middle of their conversation to look at the three of us and I shook my head while gesturing to show them everything was fine. They went back to their conversation and Thor let out a laugh about something Steve said, making the soldiers look at the duo.

"Some habits die hard guys." I said and smiled. "You both know that I could probably be trained with cookies right?"

"Yes, but you are not a dog." Loki said and I grinned at him. "A bitch at times, perhaps, but never a dog."

My mouth fell open in shock and I looked at Loki in total disbelief of his statement. I glared at him as his smirk dropped to a look of full concern as I continued to stare him down, he struggled for a moment and I let him off the hook when I burst into laughter.

"Well done." I said and clapped my hands. "Spoken like a true smart ass Magic Dance."

Loki smirked again and crossed his arms as Tony walked up and looked at the tree of us and crossed his arms, he then looked over at the group of huddled soldiers at the other end of the Chinook. His eyes falling to the wall of Steve and Thor separating them from me and he threw his arms out.

"I thought I would come over and see if there was any room for a fourth at the cool kids table here in the asylum. "He said and sat down next to me. "Nice to see that you made friends with the Army, so nice to see your people skills are improving."

"Nope. Still rusty as ever Tony. And there may be some room, but we are so not the cool kids." I said and pointed at Thor and Steve. "Those are the cool kids, we are more like the Goths who have deep conversations about literature while silently judging everyone around us. You can hang, but if you misquote Shakespeare, we will skin you alive "

"That sounds like so much fun, not the skinning part but the judging everyone part." Tony said and sighed, resting his hands on his knees as he looked at the three of us.

"It is." I said and crossed my arms defensively. "It is way better than sitting here and worrying about the next six hours, plus we can reenact Hamlet."

Loki sighed and I elbowed him in the ribs, bruising the joint painfully on the Ballistic Vest under his shirt and I groaned openly in pain. He chuckled and I glared back at him and he frowned back at me.

"Laugh now. I will have my revenge on you later for calling me a bitch." I said and Steve looked over at us and I mentally counted down, waiting for it.

"Language." Steve said and I laughed and pumped my fist in the air as Tony reached into his pocket and handed me a fifty. Steve winced at his automatic response and I tucked the bill into my pocket, smiling in triumph at winning the bet.

"Double or nothing?" Tony asked and I laughed at him and put my hand out and we shook on the bet.

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Sometimes in life, the only way to perfectly describe a situation properly, is the word clusterfuck.

We landed in the parking lot of the where house and prepped ourselves quickly, Thor eyed Loki and I as we handed each other magazines for our rifles and loaded our pockets with chem lights. I had nearly forgotten that we were becoming fairly adept at handling the firepower, and that Thor was new to everything in front of him. He looked down at the rifle in my hands as I loaded it and then at his own, mimicking the motions that I had performed and his arrogant pride got into the way of asking one of us for help. I reached over and chambered the first round on his weapon as he continued to watch me closely. Steve handed me a couple extra magazines across the table and I handed one off to Loki and he put it into an extra pocket on his tactical rig.

Fury passed out body cameras for the three of us to wear, and I clipped mine to my shirt front just over my heart. The radio transmitter clicked in my ear annoyingly and I did my best not to yell at the person playing with the button, he was standing across from me. I glared at Thor and pointed up to my ear and he stopped pressing the test button and continued watching everything I was doing.

"Ms. Hawthorne, check your camera. We are not receiving an image from you." I heard Fury say into my ear and I looked down at the black square and unclipped it from my shirt. I looked at it as Steve reached out for it to see if he could help me and I waved him back. I saw a green light indicating it was on, so I shrugged and slammed in on the top of the table in front of me. Loki and Thor both jumped at my extremely hard reboot of the malfunctioning equipment and I shrugged at the both of them.

"I see you now." Fury responded and Steve laughed, throwing his head back as Tony looked at me in shock.

"Simple problems sometimes have simple solutions." I said, shrugging as I clipped the camera back on my shirt and panned it around a bit.

"Picture is clear Ms. Hawthorne. Thank you." Fury said into my ear again and Tony shook his head, and Thor continued to look confused.

"Speaking of simple solutions." Tony said and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Anyone think to tell Thor how to kill one of those things? I mean, kill them again?"

"Shoot it in the head Thor, that seems to work." I said and watched him as he fumbled with the AR-15, I sighed and thumbed the safety back on before he accidentally shot Steve. I rubbed my face with my hands and looked at Tony, and then up at the sky.

"Our current plan for teams may not be wise." Loki said and I nodded as I looked at Tilgun and Thor, Steve looked at me and I let my rifle hang from my shoulder as I walked Thor through operations of the rifle. Making sure to instruct him so that he was especially careful to not discharge it accidentally in the middle of a sweep.

"Maybe Tilgun and Steve can take the ground floor, Thor and Loki the second, and the Princess and I can take the third floor." Tony suggested and I nodded my head.

"It is a good idea." Steve said and I handed him some of the chem lights that were left and nodded my agreement, keeping half of them for myself and putting them in my already stuffed pocket of them. It meant me being away from Loki, which I was sure he was not going to like, but it also meant that the new persons were paired off with someone who had run into these monsters before. I kept busy, and moved like I had a purpose to avoid a non verbal fight with Loki as I continued working.

"This is really going to be interesting with the new guys." I said sardonically and felt a hand squeeze my right butt cheek suddenly. I yelped and whirled about to see the Specialist standing behind me with his arms crossed, grinning as he leered down at me and I glared back at him. Steve and Loki started walking around the table toward him and I looked at him in shock and I smiled, placing my hand in the middle of his chest and let a pulse of energy go that knocked his ass back. He flew across the parking lot and slammed into a tree, coming to a rest and rolling onto his back has he caught his breath and groaned in pain. I crossed my arms in annoyance as I looked at him and his eyes watered as I grinned.

I felt bad for the tree, it did not ask to have an asshole slammed into it.

"Did not know who he was fucking with." I said and heard a chuckle behind me from Loki.

"Now that was highly amusing." Loki said and Fury poked his head out of the helicopter where operations was set up inside and looked at the fallen soldier, he was slipping a radio transmitter back into his ear as he glanced at the soldiers. Two of his friends was helping him to stand back up, and he glared at the man and then looked over at me. I shrugged as he shook his head and ducked back into the Chinook.

"I warned him." Fury said into my ear. "Wrong person got him though."

I rolled my eyes and pulled the slide back on my rifle to chamber the first round and turned to face the guys.

"Just jacking myself up for the real fun." I said and turned toward the where house. "Plus that really felt good. Let's go play boys."


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19.

Another parking lot was crossed, this time instead of four we were six. Despite the humid night air, I shivered as we reached the door and waited for Tony to do his check before I put my hand over the lock and blew the doors open and in. I was cheaper than explosives, and easier on the knees and shoulders than forcing it manually. We covered each other as I cracked a chem light and threw it into the dark where house. Those of us who had faced this nightmare before, entered cautiously, moving and tracking around the room with rifles at the ready. Relaxing them when we were sure we were clear for the moment. I turned back and waved Thor and Tilgun into the building, keeping my rifle at the ready with my finger outside the trigger guard. Sweat dripped down my back under the body armor, and I wanted to scratch at it but knew I couldn't.

"Looks like nobody is home." Steve said as he and Tilgun started into the building, breaking off from our group as we headed for the stairs. A blade of ice formed from Tilgun's hand as I watched and I gave him an impressed nod.

"Just be careful boys, if you need us give a shout." I said to the two of them and Tilgun looked back at me, giving me a silent nod and turning back to the darkness ahead of them. The rest of us headed directly for the main stairwell and began ascending quickly and quietly, we chceked corners as we readied for any threat that could come at us as Thor followed the three of us. Thor and Loki branched off on the second floor, we covered them until the two of them vanished down the dark hallway. Loki turned back to me and I nodded as he moved down the hallway with Thor, a nervous smile on his face as he turned back and continued walking.

"Be careful, and please resist the urge to shoot Thor in the knee." I said into the receiver and got nothing back. I stared into the dark hallway and fought the urge to chase after them, Tony made a sound behind me and I looked back to him.

"Come on Princess, Thor will keep him out of trouble." Tony said and we continued up the stairs to our level, we opened the door and I rolled a chem light down the hall. Everything remained very quiet as we waited a few heartbeats. I looked down the barrel of the rifle and waited, counting off the seconds as I watched dust settle in the green glow of the light. We listened for any sound and heard nothing as we cautiously walked forward into the dark maze of offices, long abandoned and empty.

"There is nothing to be seen here." I heard Thor say in my ear and I pushed an office door open. It swung easily as we both walked through the hallway and I cracked a chem light, holding to the front and side of me as I moved.

"We have not looked everywhere, and stay quiet. Sound attracts them." Loki said over the radio and I tried not to giggle as Tony sighed to my right. I put a hand over my mouth and looked at Tony. He flipped his visor up and rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

"I still see nothing brother." Thor shot back and I almost pulled the receiver out of my ear when I heard Loki sigh.

"You should have gone with Stark, I would have preferred Lilliana to partner with me. She at least understands the danger we are in. Now be quiet." Loki said and I felt my face blush as I opened another door and cleared the room. Tony repeated the action behind me across the hall and we moved on down the hall, coming to a junction that branched to the left and right.

"Your preference is noted." Thor said and I rolled my eyes, I reached up to remove the receiver so I could continue without the distraction and stopped when I heard a sound at the end of the hall. I aimed down it and pulled a chem light from my back pocket, cracking it one handed and shaking it. I threw it down the hall and it rolled to a stop as I brought the rifle up to my shoulder. A rat hissed at the light and looked at me with beady eyes, hissing again before scurrying off into the darkness. I let out a long breath, and closed my eyes to let my pulse regulate, looking at Tony and giving him a thumbs up as he returned the gesture. What the hell was it with rats this week?

"Boys, we can hear everything, and you are tying up the line down there." Tony said calmly and I giggled. "T junction Princess, go left, and I will go right. Give me a shout if you need me."

"Sure, I should be fine. That rat looked like he wanted my wallet though." I replied to Tony and turned down my stretch of hallway in the darkness, giving him a quick salute as I tuned on my heel and continued down my hallway.

"Stark, do not let her explore this building alone." Loki said in my ear and I opened the door in front of me and saw nothing in the darkened room. I cracked another chem light and held it in my hand for a second, rolling it underhand down the dark hall as I tracked with the barrel of my rifle.

"I will be fine, I promise." I said and opened another door and rested my finger along the receiver again as I looked into the dark room. I moved quietly over the carpeted floor, picking my steps carefully as I moved, ready to shoot if I had to and moved to the next door.

"Tilgun and I have cleared the ground floor." Steve said. "There is nothing here, except for some old crates and they are empty."

"Captain, you both move back to the stairwell and wait, if one of the other teams needs you for backup respond immediately. Hawthorne, your camera has come loose, adjust it. Thor, follow Loki's lead, he know what you are up against." Fury said and I adjusted the clip on camera and pushed the door in front of me with my fingers.

"No news is good news." Tony said and I opened the next door and saw an abandoned office desk in the middle of the room and sighed. I was relieved to hear that our team may have dodged a nasty, undead bullet. I sighed and crossed the hall to open the next door. I pushed the door open and saw another desk, but sitting in the middle of it was a Motorolla cell phone. I looked at it cautiously and shrugged, figuring it had been there for a long time. I tracked around the room and cleared it, turning to leave when the phone rang suddenly.

"No way." I said to no one in particular and debated answering the damn thing as it vibrated across the desk and played a generic ringtone. I walked into the room and looked down at the phone, reaching out for it when it stopped ringing.

"What was that sound?" Thor said into my ear as I picked up the phone and looked at the external display. The phone started ringing again, and I let my rifle hang free in front of me. I flipped it open and pressed the button to put it on speaker, I turned the chatter in my ear into background noise and tried not to think about my drug running past at the same time.

"Joe's Taxidermy, you snuff em, we stuff em." I said and heard a warm chuckle from the receiver. I shivered involuntarily as I looked at the phone in my hand and resisted throwing it aside and running.

"You are funny Prometheus. I do like that about you, and I have a feeling I will enjoy this conversation with you my dear. Now, could you tell your five friends to stay where they are? I would truly hate to blow the entire building because they did something silly. Like interrupt our conversation." The male voice on the phone said and I stiffened, trying desperately to stay cool. If this guy was serious, we could be in a whole lot of trouble right now.

"Did everyone hear that?" I asked and received positive responses in my ear. I looked back at the phone and tried to keep my voice normal, my other hand rested on the Rifle and I looked behind me nervously.

"Well sugar, if this is not a surprise. What do you want?" I asked, the phone trembling in my hand as I talked. I switched hands and closed the other one into a fist, hoping that he did not hear the phone shaking or rattling.

"Already with the questions. My dear, there is time for that later, why don't we start with you getting comfortable and some polite introductions? That rifle looks so very heavy, why don't you put it on the desk in front of you? No false moves now, I would hate to press this button in front of me and kill you and all your friends."

"I need to set the phone down." I said and put it on the desk as I slowly pulled the strap of the rifle over my head and laid it down. I glanced around the room looking for how he could be seeing me and saw the camera in the left corner above me. I picked up the phone and I heard him chuckle again as I stood quietly and the calm voice came back.

"I was hoping you would find the phone. Now isn't this much more comfortable Lilliana? Such a lovely name, it truly rolls like silk off the tongue. I wish I could thank your dead parents for giving it to you, they were truly genius in their choice. And it is so regal as well. Lilliana Rose, the name of a beautiful queen." I shivered and stayed very still, not wanting to risk anything to chance but everything about this voice as terrifying me. Ice ran through my veins when he laughed again and I tried not to shiver again.

"You know my name. What do I call you?" I asked and felt my skin crawl, he held all the power and he knew it.

"Call me Death. Would your very tall and interesting friend on the first floor not move. He is risking your life right now in his restlessness." Death replied and I heard Steve tell Tilgun not to move. His voice shaky and laced with fear.

"He will say still. Just tell us what you want." I said, panic edging into my voice as I heard something click in my ear.

"Keep him talking we are trying to trace the cameras." Fury said and I took in a deep breath.

"Don't be afraid my sweet girl, if everyone does as they are told, you will all live. Now please, turn slightly to the left and look at the camera. I know you saw it, and I want to see your face." He said and I shifted around and looked up as the red circle in the corner of the room. My skin crawled and I swallowed hard.

"Is this good?" I asked him and I heard a sigh over the receiver, my skin crawled again and I crossed my arms over me the best I could as the camera stared down at me like and unblinking eye.

"Please let us go." I choked out and shivered as I tried to catch my breath.

"Just stay calm Princess, you can do this." Tony said into my ear and I shivered.

"Don't be afraid." The voice on the phone said and I looked down at the phone. "Please, you have nothing to fear from this organization."

"You are threatening me now, and my friends that is enough to make me very afraid." I replied and I head him chuckle into the phone.

"I told you that you would be well if you did as you were told Lilliana. I hope to keep my word, have trust in me dear. Now please remove your knit hat, let your hair down for me." Death said and I reached up with a shaking hand and pulled the hat off my head. I put it on the desk next to the rifle and pulled the braid over my shoulder. I pulled it out of the ponytail holder and slipped the tie onto my wrist, trying not to picture what this guy was probably doing.

"Are there any infected in this building?' I asked and Death chuckled at my question, his amusement at the question made more ice fill my blood and my shoulders tense in response to his laugh.

"No my dear. Does my beautiful creation still frighten you? Can you still feel their cold hands as they reach for you, snaking up your neck and brushing that fascinating birthmark?" He asked me and I nodded.

"Yes. It scares me that anyone could create it more, that someone would knowingly try to kill millions." I said and he laughed at my answer. I crossed my arm back over myself and I shivered. I did not care if this guy found me weak any more, I was scared and in the dark. I was alone, and no one was there with me.

"Don't look so lost little lamb." He said over the phone and my eyes jerked to the receiver.

"Be brave Little Mouse. He has not right to address you in such a way." Loki said into my ear and I looked at the phone, studying the numbers for anything that could tell me he was done taunting me. Anything that would say that I could run from the building and find a place to hide far from this building and that voice.

"Tell me something, how long did you sit in the brush and listen to your father scream before he died? Burning to death is painful, did it take long for him to burn?" He asked me and I shivered as bad memories flooded back, I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.

"It was an accident, and I was really young. I don't remember how long it was." I said, faking strength where there was none in me.

"I know all about it, I have your file. Those screams must have been so traumatic for such a young mind, were they penance for beating you so as a child? Did he beg your forgiveness as he died, or did he continue to curse your name?" He said and a sob escaped me and I covered my mouth.

"Stay calm Hawthorne. He can't hurt you." Fury said into my ear and I fought back the urge to scream. I felt my knees want to give out under me and I felt a tear trace down my cheek. I covered my face as I tried not to cry.

"We will talk about something else lost little lamb, this is upsetting you." He said and I nodded. "Take off that vest, and the one under it. I do not like the bulk that awful equipment adds to you." He commanded and I froze. I was only wearing a bra under the Ballistics Vest.

"Can we just compromise at just the combat rig?" I asked him and I swear I could hear the pervert smile through the phone.

"I am not wearing an undershirt, just a bra." I added and internally panicked, thinking and worrying that I had pissed the guy off. I stripped the Combat rig off and threw it into a corner, still dressed but feeling naked under the camera.

"I will let you stay covered then. Your black haired friend looked agitated, Loki, I believe. Is he always this protective of you?" He said and I closed my eyes as I tried to stay on my feet, he knew exactly where to push, what buttons to use against me.

"Sometimes." I said and I looked up at the camera again.

"How lucky he is to touch you, to feel your soft skin. I envy him for that." Death said and I swallowed hard, doing my best to not scream at the voice. He was finding another place to put his fingers that hurt.

"You have fought so hard to stop Leonie, and I know you know her identity. I fed it to you and Fury. No doubt he is trying to trace the cameras and the phone now." He said and I swallowed hard.

"I don't know anything about that." I said and looked around me.

"How much more are you willing to fight Prometheus? How far will you go to steal the forbidden knowledge from the Titans of Olympus?"

"I don't understand, what do you want?" I asked him and I heard Loki say something to Thor in my ear.

"A clever girl like you should have already figured out her goal, but do you truly know how to stop her? Do you fully understand what you will loose if you fail?" He said and I shook my head.

"She can kill everyone she wants to, she will have a powerful weapon. It will make her unstoppable." I said and hoped my voice did not shake, the darkness of the room pressed in around me and I closed my eyes.

"So you do know what the Dargumiin is, very clever my dear. I wonder which one she will kill to gain control of it though, Thor or Loki? She does now have two to choose from, it will be interesting to see which one she takes." He said and my eyes went wide suddenly at the thought, my fear melted into anger and I glared up at the camera and looked directly at it. He may have all the power, but I still had a few tricks up my sleeve.

"Neither one if I can help it." I said and sneered at the unblinking eye. "I am really getting tired of just standing here, is there a point to this? We came here to clear the building and now you are the one holding all of us hostage, what do you want?"

Death went silent suddenly, I blinked in the darkness and worried that I had done something to provoke him and formed a plan quickly in my head as to how to react. I took in a long breath and prepared to move when the lights in the room went up, I shielded my eyes at the brightness that made my eyes water and saw the bomb in front of me. It was simple in design, five barrels of Ammonia Nitrogen linked to a remote detonator, it was powerful enough to level the whole building and vaporize me as I stood at ground zero. In my ear, Fury hissed in shock and I tried not to yell out in fear at the device, I took an instinctual step back from it in fear.

"Let us go." I said, my voice croaking with fear as my anger turned back into panic. "You win, but killing us will not make anything better."

"I see I have your attention, this bomb is quite simple in design, but I think it is highly effective. Remember Oklahoma City? What beautiful devastation it caused, you can say I was inspired to use one of my own." He said and I swallowed hard as I looked at the steel drums in front of me. A light blinked red, and switched to green as it indicated that it was armed.

"Interesting you chose the name Prometheus, do you know the punishment he endured for stealing the forbidden knowledge of fire and giving it to humans?" Death said and I nodded and swallowed, my mind transfixed on the lights on the bomb in front of me.

"Please." I choked out and the green light blinked at me, a terrible reminder that things were about to go very bad. Someone started talking to another person in my ear, and a voice demanded to know what I was looking at.

"He was sentenced to have his liver ripped from his body every day by an eagle, I wonder if you could grow parts of yourself back if they were removed from you. Remember my dear I read your file, you are so very interesting. Let us play a game, who can you save before I press the button to blow the entire building up?" He said and I heard him laugh softly into the receiver.

"Please." I begged into the phone, trying not to scream the word as I prepared myself for my plan.

"May I suggest that you save yourself? I would like to speak with you again." Death said and I closed my eyes and threw the phone into the air and concentrated as the light turned yellow again. I ran through the hall toward Tony, concentrating and stopping time as I moved through the halls.

I rounded the corner and grabbed Tony, jumping with him and leaving him outside the Chinook and jumped back to the the building and appearing on the first floor just inside the entrance. I brought Steve with me next and I left him next to Tony, stopping and smiling as I wrapped Steve's arms around Tony's neck for a bit of fun later.

I jumped again, appearing on the second floor and running the halls as I stripped off the ballistics vest and dumped it on the floor and pulling my shirt back on over my head as I ran. It was weighing me down, and I turned a corner and found them both standing and looking up at the ceiling. I grabbed hold of them both and took them out with me, leaving them next to the rest of the guys and I prepared to jump again when I found myself feeling dizzy and I had to shake it off. I ran toward the building and burst through the doors, grabbing Tilgun and yelped in pain as his skin gave me frostbite on the palms of my hands. I held onto him through the pain and jumped, leaving him with the rest of the group as I rubbed my palms on my pants and blew into them to get some of the cold to dissipate.

I nearly lost control of the frozen time, and I yelped again as my hands started healing painfully and made one last jump. I reappeared in the room with the bomb again and grabbed the phone out of the air and picked the rifle up off the table with my hat and I racked my brain for anything else. I stopped and looked at the bomb as I felt time start to slip out of my control again, and I had to choose to try and defuse the bomb or just save my own ass. I chose life, I made the final jump as I pressed the phone to my ear and let time resume as I appeared with the rest of the guys.

"Looks like I won asshole, they all got saved." I said as the building exploded, debris flying out everywhere as the guys ducked and dodged flying concrete. I ran to the side and behind some bushes as a large piece of the building flew out and landed where I was standing. Steve and Tony looked at each other as I disconnected the call and we started running again as a huge piece of machinery shot out sideways from the building and slammed into a van parked nearby. The fire stretched up into the sky as I rolled onto my back and lay in the middle of the parking lot. The cloud of smoke and fire stretched like a growing monster into the sky as I heard the last of the smaller pieces of debris rain down around me.

I got up and walked back over to the group, limping on a bruised hip as I hung my rifle over my shoulder. Everyone looked around themselves confused and then at me, I shrugged and looked at the phone in my hand and smiled to myself. I had stolen back the power the asshole on the other end had tried to take from me and it felt great. I stretched my neck back, and shook off the dizziness that crept up on me and rolled my head on my neck.

"How did we get out here?" Steve asked and I raised my hand and smiled. Fury walked toward us purposefully and I cringed back, putting my hands out as I tried my best to not run across the parking lot for my life.

"You!" Fury said, pointing at me and I took a nervous step back. Steve and Loki both walked forward as I put my still slightly frostbitten hands up in supplication.

"Sorry. I tried...I didn't mean...aw fuck. I surrender." I said and looked at Fury, who kept walking and I braced for whatever blow was coming. He stopped in front of me and grabbed the phone from my hand and pulled me toward a medic by grabbing my wrist in his gloved hand.

"You saved everyone and brought back the phone. Take care of her hands, and see that she does not have any further injuries." Fury said and looked at me. "you did good Ms. Hawthorne."

"Just a heads up, I may have panic peed a little bit when you walked up. Also, I don't need attention for my hands, they are healing right now."

Fury let go of my arms and I stepped back as Steve grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into a hug as Tony laughed. I groaned and pushed away from him and looked around, Thor stepped forward and Loki looked at us, semi amused but still concerned about my hands.

"I really need a shirt that says 'Not a Hugger.'" I sighed and rolled my eyes, ducking suddenly as a secondary explosion went off in the burning building behind us. Something hit me and spun me around as I yelped in pain, I looked at my shoulder and saw a tear in my shirt with a line of blood tracing down my arm from a cut. We all turned and watched the building burn as the moon crept higher in the sky. I heard Fury's phone alert and he pulled it out of his pocket and frowned at the screen. I looked over his shoulder at the text message and I wanted to scream, instead I turned around and looked at Loki. He must have seen the worry on my face, because he moved closer to me and I put my hands to the sides of my face. Shaking in disbelief at what I saw on the phone.

"What is it?" Tony asked and Fury darkened the screen on his phone and looked at all of us grimly. He was debating how to tell all of us what had just happened and how bad the breach was, his eye looking down as he ran a hand over his head.

"SHIELD and The Avengers has been compromised. The text message I just received was a photograph sent from an unknown source, they have a sample of Ms. Hawthorne's blood." He said and Tony swallowed hard as he looked at me.

"How did they get it?" I asked no one in particular and looked around me in shock. Tony took in a breath and we all turned toward him.

"We each had a vial left over from the samples Bruce took, he was going to destroy them all. This is no one's fault, they were behind locked doors, and in the lab until we got rid of them. I can only guess that someone stole it from there. I will review the cameras in the lab later to see who had access to it, and who took it." He said and Fury nodded, Loki crossed his arms and Thor glared at him openly.

"I should hope so, they took something from me. You heard what he said to me, he knows everything, he knows me. That is creepy as hell." I said and looked down at my feet. Tony looked worried and I rolled my eyes and walked over to him and hugged him. It was an attempt to show that I was not blaming him, and to diffuse a potentially bad situation.

"From this moment forward, both agencies are officially on lock down. Everyone is to be brought in for questioning and properly vetted. I mean everyone. I want every last person checked. All the way down to the guy who washes the windows." Fury said and everyone nodded. I stepped back and looked at Tony, his face worried with his visor up and I shook my head at him. I knew he did not mean for anyone to steal that sample from his lab and I still trusted him. Loki looked at me and I shrugged as I looked back down. I crossed my arms and in the background someone cussed about the building and we turned to see the local Fire Department arrive on site.

"We still have a woman to stop guys, The Horsemen can wait for now. I also want to know what Friday found in the search I set the computer up to do." I said and picked up my gear, walking toward the Chinook to board it.

"I still trust this team Fury, please don't prove me wrong about these boys." I said over my shoulder as I walked.

"I really hope I do not have to." He replied and I walked up the loading ramp and into the helicopter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We all stood around the monitor in the lab and watched the cleaning man steal the sample. It was shockingly easy for him to do it as well, no one watched him as he opened the cooler and slipped the tube into a case he brought with him. From there, he hid it on his cart and was home free. The playback unflinching as it showed him walking past Bruce and Tony who were talking together, not paying any attention to the man as he left the lab.

Thor crossed his massive arms as he watched the screen and Bruce looked sick as Loki tightened his jaw at the scene.

"Well that was rather easy for him to get, did it fail to occur to any of you that you should have disposed of the samples earlier?" Loki said and Thor nodded his agreement. Tony and Bruce looked at them as I sighed and shrugged.

"No one could have foreseen this guy being compromised, he is completely invisible, kept his head down and looked like he was just working. Stop playing the blame game Loki." I said and rubbed the back of my neck as I looked at the still images.

"Well, we know who gave it to them, now we just need to know why they wanted it." Tony said and I shrugged while shaking my head.

"They are looking for a weakness? A way to kill me? Who knows, and whoever can figure it out better have more answers, because I am fresh out of them right now." I said and looked at Bruce as he shuffled nervously.

"I should have destroyed them when I was done testing everything, that was stupid on me." Bruce said and he looked at me nervously, I felt bad for him and I gave him a sad shake of my head.

"Not really your fault Bruce. Again, how were you supposed to know this would happen?" I said and crossed my arms.

"I am still sorry." Bruce said and I walked over and hugged him to show I had no hard feelings, he returned is and I smiled at my friend as I stepped back.

"It is still in their hands." Loki said and everyone looked at him. "Why they posses it is the real question, what do they exactly plan to use it for."

"Who knows," I said and looked at him, getting annoyed. "We can't change that part of it now. They have it and we can only hope it was ruined from the lack of refrigeration and they can't use it for anything."

I paced, thinking and scratched at the back of my hand. Turning everything over in my head and I turned and I could hear Loki clear his throat and I ignored him. Tony shifted and began typing on the computer in front of him as I turned everything over in my mind, and stopped.

"Well, we have at least one answer." Tony said and I looked at him.

"And now we still have to figure out how to stop Leonie and destroy the Dargumiin before the world ends. Friday turned up a whole lot of nothing during my search other than what we currently know and we are running out of time." I said and my fingernails dug into the skin on the back of my hand accidentally and I felt my blood well up. My and began healing instantly, but I still tried to hide the half-moon cuts behind my back. Loki looked at me and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose while he resisted scolding me.

"Calm down Princess." Tony said calmly and held his hands up to me. "We will get the bad guys soon enough, but you are starting to show the last few days, and it is not really a pretty sight on you. You can't save the world if you are a nervous wreck."

I looked at everyone and Thor gave me a nod to agree with Tony. I leaned back against the table behind me and took in along breath, letting it out slowly. I was starting to agree with Tony myself, but this whole situation was starting to turn into the shit storm of the century. One that would get so much worse if we didn't do anything.

"We are all tired," Steve said calmly and looked at us. "Running on fumes, we have been forced from one bad situation to the next and it is starting to show on all of us. When this is all over, we will rest but for now, we have one last loose end to clear up. I say we all take the next few hours to recharge, and also take that time to take care of ourselves. After we take out the Church and stop this Voudou whatever, we will really rest. Then we will get The Horsemen, they targeted one of ours, and I am taking that personally."

We all stood quietly, letting Steve's words sink in and the most insane part of the whole speech was that it made perfect sense to me. I nodded and looked around the room at all gathered, and smiled a bit. Mostly, because part of me knew that they were angry that I was in danger, and that they all were as scared as I was.

"How are you not a motivational Speaker?" Tony said and I gave a half hearted snort in response. Part of me wanted Steve to say a really bad word, and I waited for a moment for Steve's reaction to play out. He sighed and shook his head at Tony and looked up in that 'Jesus Give me Strength' way, I giggled at the reaction internally.

"I do agree with you though, let's all just take a few hours. Rest, we will form a plan on how to take out the Voudou Queen of New Orleans and save the world at the same time, but later." Tony said and I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

"Marie Laveau." I said and everyone looked at me, Tony frowned and I groaned.

"What?" Steve said and I looked down at the monitor in front of me and pulled up a Google search on the name. Thor looked and started reading the article I pulled up and looked back at me.

"Leonie is not the Voudou Queen of New Orleans. Marie Laveau is the Voudou Queen, Leonie is small shit compared to her, read a book or watch Discovery Channel or something. That is an insult to a legendary figure of Voudou culture Tony, pagan culture as well. It is also painfully obvious to me that we are going to have to wing destroying the Dargumiin, maybe we will somehow get lucky and figure it out." I said and rubbed the back of my neck. "Maybe a couple hours of sleep will not be so bad."

Loki nodded at me and I shrugged as I leaned back against the table again, Thor continued reading the monitor with interest and I glanced over as Steve who was taking a bit of interest in the article as well. The other monitor showing an image of the cleaning man as he held the vial of blood in his hand, his face looked marked with fear as I studied the screen and let out a breath. It was the face of a desperate man, I had seen it before and I probably would again sometime in the future.

Tony would be sending a copy of the video to Fury soon, but who knows how long it would take for the man to see it. He was currently facing his own logistical nightmare now that he was certain that his carefully crafted universe of order and security was compromised. It had to bother him like crazy to know that he had come so close to watching it crumble from within as well, his life's work tainted by a madman with a plan.

"This whole nightmare is not going to end well at all." I said and I saw Steve look around at everyone.

"Which part? And don't be so pessimistic, we have faced some pretty bad stuff in the past." Tony asked and I shrugged., I was too tired to care what part of it was going to implode and getting even more tired of caring.

"Flip a coin." I shrugged. "Both parts are equally messed up. We don't know who to trust, we don't know who is compromised, and we sure as hell do not know who the Horsemen are or what they want. No matter where we turn, we will have a huge problem on our hands."

"Can you do that stuff with the internet again. That Deep Web stuff?" Steve asked and we all turned and looked at him openly shocked at what he said. I looked at him and almost lost the ground under my feet for that brief moment, and I did my best not to shake my head or pinch myself.

"This just got really weird now." Tony said and rubbed his face.

"Did you completely miss where it ended really bad for an entire Starbucks?" I asked and Thor looked at all of us confused. "I really don't want to get shot at again this week, it is not really all that fun Steve."

"I am only suggesting it." Steve said and crossed his arms. "We contact them, demand answers. Also, we do it from this lab, no public attempts anymore."

"As messed up as this sounds, I think we should face one thing at a time Steve." I said and Loki nodded with me. "As much as I am having fun corrupting you, I really don't want to go poking the bear with a really sharp stick."

"Agreed." Thor said, at least getting part of the conversation. Loki rolled his eyes ans sighed, shifting and shifted on his feet casually as he looked up. My head started hurting again and I squeezed my eyes shut, it had already been a long week and it was just getting longer.

Tony glanced up at the clock on the wall and frowned, Loki walked over to me as I rubbed the back of my hand and wrapped his fingers around one of mine. Closing his hand over it before I started scratching again and he held it behind is back and winked at me. I grinned a bit and looked at the men around me as I leaned into his arm and took a deep breath of his scent.

"That twitch of yours is getting worse Princess." Tony said and I blushed, it was embarrassing to know that everyone around me was now aware of my bad habit. And even worse that they all probably saw me as weak because of it, these guys faced worse and had nothing of the sort to show for it.

"Stress." I said and shrugged as I blew it off. "When I was a kid, my hand was covered in scabs all the time from it, you develop it as a coping mechanism to survive the crap thrown at you. At least now, I heal a lot faster."

"Well, you may want to settle down on that." Tony said and crossed his arms. "Loki sounds like a frog."

I laughed and shook my head, trying not to form a mental image of a frog with black hair and lost. I started laughing harder and felt Loki squeeze the hand he held behind his back. I relaxed myself into giggles and turned my face into his side as I continued to giggle as the frog scolded me in my head and croaked about what a vexing girl I was. Loki cleared his throat again, and I was reduced to laughter as he grinned at me in amusement.

"Thank you Stark, I think I may never hear the end of this." Loki said and I heard Thor chuckle.

"You would make an adorable frog." I said and he rolled his eyes at me, pretending to be annoyed with me as he cleared his throat again and I laughed harder. Thor laughed with me and I took in a long breath as I collected myself and tried not to crack up again.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20.

I stretched and rolled over onto my stomach, the mattress groaning under me as I rested my head on my arm. Loki glanced over at me from his book and closed it on his fingers, I shifted my hips to get more comfortable and sighed. I had been trying to sleep for the last two hours, but the entire concept of the action was proving to be elusive. It was also beginning to get frustrating that I couldn't find it, no matter what I tried.

"You should be sleeping Little Mouse." He scolded me, smiling at me as he did it and I rolled my eyes at the chastisement. Not exactly what I needed at the moment, but when did I need being treated like a child?

"I really wish I could." I replied and looked over at him, resting my cheek on the back of my hand. "Believe me, I would be out cold right now if anxiety was not kicking me in the teeth, stomping on my neck, and spitting in my face at this moment."

He sighed as he stood and walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it next to me, I looked at him over my shoulder as he set the book aside and waited for me to shift again so that he could lay down next to me. He tucked his arm up under his head and rested his free hand between my shoulder blades. I closed my eyes briefly and opened them as he moved my hair out of my face.

"Why the anxiety?" Loki asked me and I shrugged back at him, he frowned a bit and tapped my forehead with his finger to remind me I could talk to him and he would not repeat it to anyone else.

"Everything." I said simply and he raised his eyebrows at me.

"That is a rather broad statement. Perhaps you could tell me the first cause of your unease that comes to your mind." Loki said and I gave him a tired smile as his hand rested back between my shoulders again and I relaxed. Thinking of the biggest and messiest bit on my plate at the moment, and deciding on the second biggest. I really did not think it would be a good thing to really talk about what was on my mind, it would probably just piss him off.

"I'm afraid of failing right now, and what could happen if I don't successfully figure out how to destroy the Dargumiin." I said and he looked at me as he thought about what I said.

"It is a perfectly rational cause for anxiety, but I believe that there is something more that is picking away at you." Loki said and pushed a bit more of my hair out of my face. I sighed and turned into my arms, not wanting to really say what was on my mind. I didn't want to walk down the road that my current thought process was taking me down. He waited patiently as I tried not to let it out, and I groaned and sighed.

"I don't want to be what I am anymore." I said, pinching my eyes tight and bracing for impact, I retreated into my person bomb shelter and waited for the fallout. I felt the hand on my shoulders tense and heard Loki take in a sharp breath.

"You don't really have a choice Little Mouse. It is your birthright." He said and I turned my head toward him and glared.

"I know that idiot." I quipped and he jerked back, he pulled his hand back and pressed his lips together.

"Do you know the honor that comes with what you are? Do you truly understand that, the prestige alone is something to desire, and you wish it all gone. Are you being foolish again, or is there something more to this?" He asked me, anger edging his voice and I glared at him defensively. I was tired of lectures when I needed someone to listen to me, not talk just fucking listen.

"Yeah, some honor, wake up one morning and...Surprise! You are being kidnapped and drug across the universe, being told you are this thing that can do things. Oh, and forget about growing old and having a normal life, never going to happen. Instead we are going to force you to accept this lame party gift, and even make your life more miserable by making sure that you never feel normal." I grumped and pushed off of the bed, my anger rising to the point that it needed to be vented or I would explode.

"Little Mouse." Loki said calmly, reaching out to stop me but I yanked away from him as I walked away. I picked up the book he was reading and studied the green and yellow cover of it, and turned it over in my hands.

"You get to watch your friends grow old and die, everyone you care about eventually fading away. You then get to watch their children die, all the while, you remain changeless. No one asked me if I wanted this great fucking honor, to be this hunted thing that everyone wants to either kill or enslave. Maybe I wanted a different life. Maybe I wanted to become a fat old woman with ten grandchildren and the world's greatest cookie recipe."

"Maybe I wanted a life where I was not hunted or scared that someday, some being out there was going to grab me and use me against everyone and everything I give half as damn about. Maybe I wanted a life where I was not constantly afraid, a life free of terrorists and monsters. A normal, boring life. No one asked me if I wanted what I got, and I don't fucking want it anymore." I finished and he looked at me. My anger drained out of me as I took in long breaths, trying my best to not sink to the ground and cry. I looked back at Loki as he sat quietly, his face hard to read and I looked away. I was afraid I had just pissed him off, he stood up and walked toward me and I braced for him to react in anger. Instead he let out a breath and hugged me to him. I felt tears coming, and did my best to hold them back, but they came as he lowered his nose to my hair and rubbed my back.

"Destiny is not often fair to any of us. It is cruel at times and cold, one moment you are heir to a throne you are never to posses. The next moment, you are a discarded bastard, fighting for your life and a criminal. Then sometimes there are things that come into your existence that makes you live in fear for your life because you do not want to loose it and leave a person unprotected. You learn that you have meaning where you had none before. Fate is a strange and fickle thing, but I am grateful for one thing it brought me." He said and kissed my forehead as I looked up at him. He hugged me back to him and I wrapped my arms up around him and breathed him in.

"You always say that things happen for a reason. If I had not been sent with Thor to find you, I would still be in the dungeon for my crimes. Rotting away for eternity or until the castle fell down around me, a forgotten and discarded being. Collecting dust and giving into madness. I also believe Thor would have made a terrible mess of getting you." He said and and I smiled as I sniffed back frustrated tears.

"I remember you both making a huge mess of it, and I lost a perfectly good sandwich in the fight." I said and he chuckled at me.

"It would have gone much worse. I know Thor." He said and gave me a squeeze.

"I just don't want to be afraid anymore." I said and buried my face into his chest, the zipper from his hoodie rubbing my cheek and I had to move it aside.

"I know." Loki replied and cradled the back of my head. "But there will always be something out there to fear. Be it the unknown of the known, it will always be there. Nothing can change it, but you can choose to face it or run."

"Do you really know?" I asked him and he let me go and stepped back to the bed and sat down on it, pulling me into his lap as he scooted back to the wall.

"I do, and it was all I knew for a time." He said and rested his back against the wall, his hand taking both of mine as his arm braced me behind my back.

"When I first found out what I was, after thousands of years of being told I was something else. I felt fear, I was afraid of the people who raised me, I was terrified of Thor. I was afraid of myself in a way, I grew up being told that the Jotun were monsters. Animals that were someday destined to slaughter everyone unless they were done away with before that could happen. Thor himself said that he wished to kill all the Jotun, and I was the monster that was the thing he wished most to destroy. I was a beast, waiting to be slaughtered at any person's whim. I was a shred of what I believed I was and I was to be feared and despised in return." He said to me and I watched him shiver slightly at the memory. I wanted him to stop talking about it, but I knew he needed to say it. He needed to exorcise his soul to someone, and I could see the sadness etch itself into his face.

"My life was forfeit, and because of Thor's arrogance I was forced to look at myself and see who I was. I decided that my life was nothing, and I was willing to throw it away in my rage, a rage that became all that I was. I cared for nothing, and no being would have ever mattered to me because no one would see beyond the fact that I was the thing they feared most." He said to me and I looked at him, he placed his hand on my cheek and looked into my eyes. His face serious as he looked into me and through me.

"I lost everything I cared for, my title, my mother, my sense of being and self. I wanted something, anything to stabilize myself and give me a purpose. I told myself that being a King was everything I was meant to one day be, but I failed in my attempt, and I was once again a fool. I had nothing but the sand falling between my fingers, I was a Shattered Icon, lost to time and never meant to be anything more. All because I hated what I was." He finished and I wrapped my arms around his neck and held tight to him. His arms circled me and I buried my face into his neck and he softly rocked a bit.

"What happened?" I asked into his neck, and he chuckled.

"This strange creature found me in my personal darkness." He said and I giggled. "A Little Mouse, she was very small and lost herself, but she was very clever and so very brave. Her small hands found a place to crawl in, and I found myself treasuring her. Even when she was rather vexing."

His hands circled my waist and he pushed me back into his lap and looked at me, holding my face in his hands as he placed his head against mine. His thumbs rubbed my face under my eyes as he looked into me again, and his fingers softly traced my jaw.

"Don't let your fear turn to anger for who you are." He said to me seriously and I nodded at him. "You have so much to loose when you look into a mirror and see something you hate."

I wrapped my arms around him and relaxed into him as his hand started making circles down my spine. I let the hand on my back continued to rub the soothing pattern and his mouth found mine, rain drummed against the window behind me. Somewhere in the house, I heard a laugh, but none of it mattered to us. We were content in our world were were content together.

"What if we don't come through this the same people we were going in?" I asked and Loki let out a long breath in thought.

"Are you the same person you were two years ago?" He challenged me, and it made me actually think about how much I had changed. I was no longer the law breaking brat I once was, and not because of my powers. Mental walls were torn down, and parts of myself were let out into the sun, warmed and freed by the inertia of the person I was meant to be. No one was stagnant in their lives, and everything changed for me especially.

"I guess not." I said and shrugged, he rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.

"You are not. I think you have become so much more that that feral creature you once were. However, I do believe that your language needs to be worked further on." He said and it was my turn to roll my eyes at him. He laughed as I giggled at him and I kissed him again.

"I warned you, I am take me as I am. I change for no man." I said and he laughed and flipped me over onto my back and snuggled into me, his hand on my stomach as he settled me in and pulled the blankets over me.

"Feel better?" He asked me and I smiled at him as he propped himself on his elbow.

"A bit. Maybe I will stay in bed for a week after this is over, but I am feeling a bit better." I replied and he settled into the mattress next to me as I watched him.

"That is a plan I can appreciate." He said and looked at me, wiggling his eyebrows and I blushed at him and slapped at his arm. He looked tired himself, like he could sleep for a month tired.

"I meant sleep." I said and he laughed at me and hugged me.

"Just trying to get you to laugh, I enjoy the sound." He said and I smiled at him as the rain drummed on the window, making me feel sleepy. Nature was lulling me to sleep with a soft rhythm, and I was drifting off in his arms. I rolled onto my side and he settled into my back as his arm wrapped around me.

"This week has been rough. Like find out if Vodka comes in a keg rough." I said and he chuckled at my joke, but he knew it had been hard on me.

"It is not over yet." He reminded me and I groaned into my hands as I watched the rain create running patterns on the glass outside.

"Don't remind me jerk." I said and elbowed him in the ribs, he groaned at the sudden pain and returned with a pinch to my shoulder. I flinched and he chuckled in my ear as he wrapped an arm around my arms and held me still. I laughed and he kissed the back of my neck, just over my spine and I shivered.

"It will be soon." He said and he let me settle back into the pillow.

"I really hope so." I said and drifted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"These hiking trails here could let us sneak up on them." Steve said, pointing at them one at a time. "It would give us an advantage over them, they wouldn't know we were there until it was too late."

Thor nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. Tilgun stood behind me and looked down at the desktop embedded monitor from above, I clicked and pulled up a topographical map if the area, showing the variations in the terrain and everyone studied it.

"The hike in should be fairly easy, there are no major hills to climb and the trails are far enough from the actual flood plains that some of the more dangerous animals should not give us any problems. We should still look out for some snakes and probably carry extra mosquito spray though, just in case." Steve finished and looked at me. I shrugged and returned to the satellite image and zoomed in on the church.

"She is most likely going to perform the ritual near the back of the church. Closer to the altar, Tony's new friend with the Cairo Museum sent me texts on the ritual that I ran through Friday to translate, so now I know what to look for to interrupt it. Also, Stark industries has pledged six million to them to aid in preservation of the Great Pyramids of Giza." I said and Tony crossed his arms and looked at me with annoyance. I shrugged and glared back at him, showing him he couldn't intimidate me.

"It was gratitude for their help, also History is important to the world on a cultural level." I said and Tony nodded, Loki gave a chuckle as he watched the two of us in our non verbal standoff.

"Another problems we have is this," I said and pulled up the image of the pentagram. "It is not so much a problem if you are human, or a full blooded Jotun. But for Thor and Loki, it could be a problem."

"It is a drawing, what problem would it be?" Thor asked and I sighed, shaking my head and grinning.

"Thor, take three steps back onto that sheet behind you." I said and he took the steps back and stood in the middle of the drop cloth, under which, I drew the pentagram on the floor in poster paint earlier that day.

"Why am I here?" Thor asked and I grinned at him as I moved around Tilgun and stood in front of him.

"To prove a point." I said and crossed my arms. "Now, come at me bro."

Thor looked confused and took a step forward, stopping suddenly as if he had his a wall. He tried to walk forward again, but was still held back as if there was in invisible barrier between him and I. I walked over and lifted the canvas to reveal the same pentagram painted on the floor in bright pink paint. Thor looked down and I crossed my arms and looked at him with a sheepish smile.

"It is a god trap, you are stuck until I release you. Sorry about the pink, it was the only color I could find in storage. Now do you see the problems there?" I asked and Loki chuckled as Tilgun looked down at it amused. Loki clapped his hands together and walked forward, stopping short himself as he walked and looked around him at the clean tile. I turned out the lights and plugged in a U.V light, pointing it at the floor under his feet. The pentagram appeared clear as day under his feet and I grinned as Steve laughed and Tilgun chuckled low and throaty. I held up a U.V. pen from my pants pocket that was used to mark things invisibly and Tony doubled over laughing.

"She went 'To Catch a Predator on You.'" Tony said and both Thor and Loki looked at me annoyed. I shrugged and giggled to myself as I rolled my eyes and Bruce laughed at the situation.

"Now you both have a complete and full understanding of all this." I said and crossed my arms as I stood between the both of them.

"Wonderful. Now let us out if it pleases you." Loki said to me and gestured to the floor, I pulled a putty knife out of my back pocket and scraped at the paint near Thor's foot to break the seal. Thor tentatively put his hand forward and found he could cross the edge of the circle. He walked out of it and looked relieved as I crouched down and repeated the same actions for Loki's.

"Now that you know what you two risk, watch where you step." I said and looked over at Tony and Steve. Both of them were repressing laughter and Steve managed to pull himself together first.

"Maybe all of us should carry a scraper or something like it on us, just in case one of them gets stuck." Tony said and I nodded.

"It would be a good idea, but it is just a better idea for the two of them to just be aware of their surroundings." I said and Loki rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I am fully aware at all times as it is, I do not believe..."Loki said and stopped as he walked around the table, his motion stopping suddenly as he jerked back as if he hit a wall. Thor laughed and Loki looked at me as I picked up the U.V. Light and pointed it at the floor below his feet. Tony nearly doubled over in laughter as he looked down at the floor and Bruce snorted.

"I just proved my point there." I said and Loki looked at me in open annoyance. Tilgun let out a throaty chuckle at the scene.

"How many of those did you draw?" Loki asked me and I shrugged as he crossed his arms and glared at me.

"I sense an epic prank war in Asgard." Tony said and I grinned as I scraped the floor and broke the pentagram. Loki took the light from my hand and scanned the floor with it, making me giggle at his now distrust of the ground itself.

"That one was for yelling at me." I said to him and he rolled his eyes and handed the light back to me. I turned the lab lights back on and put the U.V. light onto a counter as I walked back to join the group.

"Can we all just calm down now?" Steve said and I nodded, but still grinned and fought laughter. "You have proven your point Ms. Hawthorne, Thor and Loki will watch where they walk in the future. Have you found out how to destroy this thing yet?"

"That came up a big blank." I said and sighed. "The really bad news is that we may just have to stop the ritual itself before she even calls it forth, which leaves us now planning for two contingencies. She brings it forth, and I have to wing it. Or we stop her and we have a very angry woman on our hands."

Tony stopped and crossed his arms as he looked down at the screen in front of him. Steve rubbed his face and looked around the room at all of us calmly, I sensed a bad joke coming as was not surprised when Tony dropped it.

"Well Hermionie, this really does not help us if she does call it forward, you were supposed to work on how to destroy the thing. And you were starting to be useful for a minute there." Tony said and I crossed my arms and glared at him, not hiding my annoyance.

"Really? That again? Because I have done about eighty percent of the research here and I am being generous giving you twenty percent. You need to grow the hell up Tony, and recognize that you would be completely lost without me being here." I said and groaned.

"And who provided the toys for you to do all your so called research Princess?" Tony said and I reached into an open bag of M+M's and began throwing them at him. Tony ducked most of them, but my assault became relentless.

"You would be a human can of SPAM if it was not for me, so start giving me some damn credit and cut me some slack." I shouted as him and grabbed another handful of candy.

"Oh yeah, Fighting with your boyfriend and playing Minecraft. So much productive work done in the name of saving my ass." Tony shot back and I threw the handful of candy at him again. Thor ducked and Tilgun began laughing as I armed myself again for another assault.

"Are you going to break this up or should I?" Steve asked Loki as Tony ducked another volley of brightly colored chocolate candies.

"Oh no." Loki said and chuckled at the scene. "This is far too much fun to watch."

"I put my ass on the line more than you! If it was not for me, we would still be without a location for the bitch! I get eighty percent!" I shouted as Tony scrambled around the counter and used Bruce as a human shield.

"No one asked you to Princess, and don't make Bruce angry. You wouldn't like him angry." Tony said and Thor moved in between me and Tony, I threw more M+M's as Tilgun watched the volley continue. Some of the candy hitting Thor as he tried to break up the fight.

"I so hope there are more zombies at this church, because I am bringing a fucking can opener." I shouted and Tony ducked another handful of candies.

"Isn't there a law against women wasting chocolate?" Tony asked and Bruce ducked another round as Steve joined in the attempt to keep me from killing Tony. "I will give you sixty percent effort, and I am being generous here as well."

"Eighty, you sexist pig. I ordered your girlfriends birthday present for you." I hissed and everyone turned on Tony and looked at him in exasperation.

"Seventy. And she liked the watch. Thank you!"

"Eighty. Or I Tell her I picked it out and make a huge donation from Tony Stark to People for Kicking Puppies!" I shouted and it was my turn to get the incredulous stares. Bruce stopped moving and looked at me, leaving Tony without a shield for a few minutes and I threw more candy at him.

"Is that even a thing?" Tony asked and I shrugged and glared at him.

"I can make it a thing, I will even give them a website and everything. Eighty percent." I said and looked around me for an opening in the human and Jotun shield for an opening to get a good throw in.

"Humor her, we are not getting anywhere, and there is candy everywhere." Bruce said and I glared at Tony's human shield. He jerked back and looked at me, shrugging an apology as Tony continued to crouch behind him.

"Alright! You did eighty percent of the work. Now calm down, eat some of that candy or something, and stop throwing stuff." Tony said and looked over Bruce's shoulder at me. I threw my last handful of candy at him and Loki chuckled at my final volley. Steve looked up at the light fixtures and Bruce moved away from Tony quickly.

"Puppy Kickers?" Bruce said as he moved, shaking his head. "This whole time, you and been all creative with your sass and Puppy Kickers was the best you could come up with?"

He did have a point.

"In my defense, everybody loves puppies. They are cute and wiggly, they make adorable noises too." I said and crossed my arms. Steve shrugged and Tony let out an exasperated sigh. Behind us, the door to the lab opened and we all turned to see Fury walk in, he looked at the candy and the painted markings on the floor and back up at us. He did not look amused at all and I scooted out of his line of sight.

"Two more bodies were found an hour ago. She has all twenty victims, and could start the ceremony or whatever it is at any time. Nice to see that you are all being so productive right now. We leave in the morning for the swamp, I hope you all have a plan." He said and looked at all of us, one at a time.

"We do, just finalizing the details." Steve said to him and I started to scratch at my hand nervously. Thor stepped forward and patted my shoulder to draw attention to to it before Loki saw what I was doing. I slipped my hands into my pockets and looked down at the floor.

"I can see that." Fury said as he looked around the room again and turned to leave, pausing and looking back at me. I shifted nervously and he nodded toward the door and I felt glued to the floor.

"Ms. Hawthorne, a word." Fury said and I followed him with heavy feet into the hall, nervous as to what he had to say. We walked through the door and he turned, facing me and starting me down. I waited for him to start getting mad at me for failing to stop Leonie before she killed again, but instead he took in a long breath and folded his hands behind his back.

"Your friends with The Horsemen have become a thorn in my side, they have gone silent since your last communication with them. On top of that, all the tracks they left when the tech team went through the phone and the remains of the laptop at the Starbucks are all dead ends. This tells me that they have a very good team working with them and that they should not be underestimated. This also makes me curious as to what they have planned for the future." He said, not taking his eye off of me and I shifted as I cleared my throat nervously.

"I'm in the dark too, I could try the Deep Web again to make contact, but I want a more controlled situation for that. Nothing public, no more lives will be put on the line because of me." I said and he nodded. He had his back to the glass windows and I could see everyone watching us as they pretended to be busy. A few more cautious glances were shot my way and I Saw Steve throw a handful of the candy into the trash.

"You do know that we are probably going to need you to take down The Horsemen. You seem to have a camaraderie with one of their ranks, and we need that." Fury said to me and I looked down at my feet, trying not to let on that everyone was getting ready to rescue me.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a camaraderie, more like the guy is obsessed with me. This is not my fight anymore, I can't do this and keep being responsible for taking out every big bad the comes along. I am afraid of loosing my humanity when you start looking at me like a weapon." I said and looked up at him and felt depression creeping in, knowing that there was nothing I could say that would convince him otherwise.

"I am going to stop you there, because this is very much your fight. They are targeting you, they have your blood in their possession and one day, probably soon, they are going to come after you. And do not say that you will just stay in Asgard, because this group does not seem above starting a war to bring you back to Earth." Fury said to me, pointing his finger to punctuate what he was saying and I looked down at the floor. He was right, no matter how much I tried to deny it, he was right. I looked in the window at everyone and saw them milling about, random tasks being completed as they all walked about. Loki watched with Thor openly, both of them discussing something as they watched Fury and I talk.

"As for you being a weapon, everyone in that room is a weapon. Be it abilities or skills, they fight to save this planet, and the people on it. It makes them weapons." Fury said and I looked at him sadly.

"I never thought I would fear a day when human beings would be scarier than any other race out there. It's really sad when you realize that our neighbors, the people who liver around you, work with you, are the real threats to us as a species." I said and looked at him. His one good eye studied me and Fury nodded at me sadly, the silence around us becoming deafening.

"The invaders always have an easy agenda, it is harder to see the motives of the people closest to you." Fury replied and I nodded sadly.

"Can I go back to Asgard for a while? I need time to come to terms with the new demons in my head. I need quiet and some sense of peace for a while." I said and Fury nodded to me.

"Of course, I will send a message with Thor when you are needed again. I just hope it is not too soon." He said and I turned and looked at him seriously.

"This world never was simple was it? We used to fight wars over land, as a way to expand our borders. Now, we declare war on ideals, we turn on each other and make enemies of our own families. We push each other away, and draw lines in the sand as wide as the Grand Canyon. We oppress ourselves and cover our flaws, celebrate perfection, but die a little bit at a time in revelry."

"We used to look for monsters in dark alleys, but we forget that the real monsters are actually in us. Lurking, and waiting to uncoil at the slightest tremor." A tear traced down my cheek and Fury watched me closely.

"You always thought that Loki was the worst thing the universe could throw at us, but we were so wrong. The real big bad is homegrown. It is us, we are the seeds of our own destruction." I finished and looked at Fury. We stood quietly in the hall as the world kept on moving around us, I wiped my face on the back of my hand and he put a gloved hand on my shoulder.

"This is why we need you to come back, we need you to help us stop these seeds from growing." Fury said to me and I smiled at him, feeling sad but accepting what he said to me.

"I really want to believe you right now, but I don't know if I can." I said and he hardened his face at me.

"I hope to prove you wrong then Ms. Hawthorne, because I do not think we will have a choice in failing." He said and walked down the hall, I waited for him to leave before hitting the access button and walking back to the lab.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21.

We moved quickly and quietly through the brush, following the hiking trail but staying off of it to avoid accidentally being seen. The sun was setting over the horizon in front of us, and the humidity was terrible. I adjusted the strap of my AR-15 and pushed through a tangle of vines and creepers as we stopped to rest for a moment in a clear blind spot. I had some chafing going on, and every step started turning into a painful walk of shame when my skin rubbed on the cloth of my pants. I should have taken Steve's advice to use baby powder on my legs and under my arms, this was hell of a whole new level.

Loki and Thor looked like I felt, Tilgun however endured the sticky heat the best he could. I may have moved closer to the Jotun for some relief in the cold that radiated from his skin, and I nearly found myself wanting to hug him. I crouched down and pulled a shemaugh out of my side pocket, using it to wipe my face and neck. Thor looked over at me and Steve brought up our rear and we all stayed low.

"Between all of you and me," I said and wiped my hands on the cloth. "This plan sucks."

Steve crouched down with us in our circle and rested as I sat down in the dirt and tried not to show how fatigued I really was. I handed Steve the shemaugh and he used it to pat his face dry, a mosquito landed on Tilguns hand and it froze as it tried to drill into his skin for blood, he flicked it away and it tumbled onto the ground. Shattering as it struck the dirt and drifting frost. I shifted to put my butt onto my heels and debated taking off the body armor vest under my shirt for some relief, it was another hour until full dark and we had been hiking for most of the day.

"Next time, let's just fly in, blow everything up, and leave." Steve said and I rolled my eyes at him. He handed me back the shemaugh, and I used it to tie my hair up and under it so that the braid stayed up and out of my way. Loki sat in the dirt as we began passing a canteen of water around and Thor began to look completely miserable, I resisted the urge to tease his armor and settled for groaning in my discomfort.

"I second that groan." Loki said as he joined us in our sitting in the dirt and passed the water on to Steve. We looked through the brush and saw the Steeple of the Church a few yards away yet, and studied it as we all crouched and waited.

"We should pair off and spread out along the ridge. We can get a better idea of how many we are actually facing now that we are here." Steve said, keeping his voice low as I cradled the AR-15 in my hands. Loki looked at me and I pointed over my shoulder and started moving through the brush as quietly as possible. We moved in tandem, one would duck into a blind spot and then the other would move across to the next. Careful, quiet, and double checking to ensure we were unseen.

We both found a blind with a good view of the church and lay on our stomachs to observe the whitewashed building from another time. I used the scope on my rifle to scan the front of the building, taking in every detail I could before I started counting heads. A woman was sitting on the stairs fanning herself lazily as a man sat at a table nearby, hands folded on his stomach as they both talked. We waited and watched, and the sound of the man laughing was carried toward us and then faded. I started envying his pitcher of iced tea, and licked my lips wanting to see if I could just walk down there and ask for a glass.

"I don't see Leonie, all I can see is a man and a woman." I said and kept watching, the Church door was open and I was trying to see if there was anyone in the darkness beyond.

"There is someone walking near the white vehicle to the left." Loki said and I turned the rifle and scope toward the van and saw Leonie. She walked toward the church and paused to pick up an item off the ground she dropped, I tracked her and let out a breath.

"It's her." I said and Loki looked at me as I carefully thumbed off the safety, I tracked her as she walked to the building and stood at the bottom of the stairs talking to both people. I slipped my finger into the trigger guard and applied micro pounds of pressure to the lever as I waited for a clear shot. The one dollar bullet that would save the world.

"You are going to kill her?" Loki said and I shook my head, not taking my eye off the target through the scope.

"Wound. I plan on hitting her in the shoulder or leg, it will keep her from even starting the ritual. I don't want to hit the woman on the stairs though." I said and waited. Loki continued to observe the church with me, both of us focused on the woman who stood with her back to us. All I needed was a foot. One foot of movement either direction and I would have a clear shot. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck from my hairline and I ignored the tickle as I saw her shift a bit to the side.

One damn foot, and everything would be over.

My finger tensed on the trigger as she shifted again and I watched her through the scope. She moved the one foot to the right and was still talking to the woman as I took in a deep breath and began to squeeze my finger when I felt a pressure against the back of my skull. I let out my breath and laid the rifle to the side, flipping the safety back on and I put my hands out in front of me.

"Fuck." I said, and Loki looked over his shoulder at the person threatening my brain with annihilation.

"Leonie was right, The Avengers are very stupid." The male voice behind me said and I felt the gun press harder against my skull. "Put and keep your hands where I can see them, I do not wish to pull this trigger."

"Unwise." Loki hissed next to me and I put my hands up higher over my head.

"Do what he says Loki, he does not exactly have to be a surgeon with that gun against my head." I said and he put his hands out in front of him and I could hear two sets of feet walking toward us.

"Papa Legba did not lie when he said a God would come to me." Leonie said and I felt the gun barrel move away from my head. "I am very pleased."

"Stand up slowly woman, keep your hands visible." The man said and kicked the rifle away from me. I closed my eyes against the spray of dirt cause by the rifle skidding away from me and turned my head, spitting the grit onto the ground in front of me. I pushed up and looked at the two dark skinned men, holding my hands at shoulder height and trying not to move suddenly. Having a double barreled shotgun aimed at your chest was a great motivator to comply.

One ripped the shemaugh off my head, pulling my hair with it and then removed the combat rig and my shirt. He pulled the ballistics vest off me and tossed it aside roughly, I looked down at Loki who glared at the two men as they worked. The one stripping me down checked my pockets and patted over my bra, pulling he tank top up to check the cups as I cringed at the violating touch. Loki continued to glare as he pulled the shirt back down and I think he may have growled. The other man pushed the rifle into the back of my neck and I flinched, taking a step forward as his rough handed friend used the scarf to tie my hands behind my back.

"You know, you are just pissing him off, he is kind of territorial when it comes to me." I said as the man glared at me and shoved me aside, I stumbled but kept my footing and straightened back up.

"Quiet woman." Leonie said and I rolled my eyes so she could see me. I would have made an obscene gesture if my hands were free.

"Hurt her, and you will die screaming." Loki said as one of the men forced me to my knees and I yelped in pain. The shotgun ground between my shoulders and I managed to repress another cringe of pain as he jammed it into my back.

"Stand up and keep your hands up." Leonie said and Loki got to his feet, glaring at the trio as he looked around. I looked down, hoping that he would not do something stupid.

"You are making a very deadly mistake." Loki said and glared at Leonie. She laughed in his face and my blood actually chilled as she mocked him, the man who had stripped off my body armor went to work on Loki. Kicking him in the back of the knee to drop him as he worked. Leonie walked forward and grabbed his face in her hand, her fingers pressing into the skin of his cheeks as she glared down at him. I shivered involuntarily as she laughed again and spit in his face, his eyes were filled with venom and I was scared he would react and get me killed.

"You have no power over me Loki, you are nothing without the protection of The Avengers. Now the life of your woman is in my hands, make a mistake and I will have her throat cut while you watch." She said and shoved his head backwards violently. She turned back to me and backhanded me across my left side, nearly knocking me over into the dirt to show Loki who was in control. My cheek burned and I could feel a bit of swelling start around my eye that immediately began healing.

"Stand them up." She said to the two men and the one with the shotgun lifted me to my feet by my arm and shoved me forward as he held the barrel of the gun on me. We walked through the brush toward the church, my leg got got caught on the vine and I nearly went over but caught myself. The last rays of the sun set as we were both forced into the church.

I looked around the nearly empty church and whistled through my teeth as I saw the altar she had prepared for the ritual. It was where I had predicted it would be, and I impressed myself for the guess. The air hung heavy with incense and the candles flickered with the minute disturbances of the air. An elaborate pentagram was painted on the floor I had never seen before and surrounding it was twenty jars of blood. Next to each jar was an Oraunga, a soul trapped from passing on waiting for the ritual to begin and release them.

"Nice place Leonie, I personally would have gone with a different interior decorator though. But to each their own, if you like the haunted house vibe, who am I to judge?" I said and the man with the gun hit me across the back of my knees. I went down on both of them hard, hearing the wood groan beneath me. It felt spongy, and a crack formed under one knee, I grinned to myself from the observation. Loki glared at the man as he put the barrel of the shotgun against the back of my head.

"You think you are funny, but you are not. If you were smart, you would be quiet." Leonie said and I glared up at her.

"Actually, I just do this super cute thing where I say the first thing that crosses my mind and it blows up in my face." I said as the other man shoved Loki toward the circle and into a God Trap across from me, Leonie glared down at me as she walked toward me and backhanded me again. My head rocked to the side and I tasted blood from my cheek scraping my teeth.

"You are going to regret that." I said and she laughed at me, throwing her head back as she expressed her amusement.

"You are in no position to make threats girl. I give the word and Thomas pulls the trigger." She said and grabbed my chin so that my eyes met hers. "Boom. No more head on your shoulders."

"I am not the one who royally pissed off Baron Samedi. So from where I am sitting, I am in a better position. You can still walk away from this Leonie, turn yourself in and you may survive." I warned and she released my face, shoving me back toward the floor. My shoulder hit the floorboards and I felt pain radiate out from the injury. Somehow, I managed to not cry out in pain.

"What do you know of the Baron, you are not a Bokor!" She shouted at me and kicked me hard in the ribs. I hissed in pain and rolled onto my stomach, pushing back onto my knees to show her she had not won.

"We talked," I said, breathing around the pain and she glared at me. "I made him a promise to stop you, or destroy the Dargumiin." I hissed and she knelt down in front of me.

"You cannot destroy the Dargumiin, it is eternal. You are also in no position to stop me." She said and I looked at her and smiled.

"You have no idea what I am." I said and she pushed away from me again and I managed to stay up, I had to save energy and I struggled not to jump in front of her. She pushed away from me again and I managed to stay up, Leonie walked over to her table and picked up a knife. The woman led in a goat to the center of her circle. She tied the rope around the goats neck to a ring secured to the floor and backed away.

"Loki." I said and looked at him. "Do me a huge favor and don't bleed on anything."

"I have no intention to do anything like that." He said and looked at me. I tested the scarf behind my back to see if I could get my hands free. I was well bound, and I did my best to not show I was scared. Internally, I was freaking the fuck out.

I heard a noise from outside as Leonie stood over the goat and raised the knife over her head, stabbing down into the animals throat as it cried out and died. The noise the poor animal made was awful and she turned and began chanting the ritual words, her voice growing louder as each of the jars exploded one at a time around the circle. The coppery smell of blood made me gag, and I tried not to think about the lives that once relied on that fluid.

Energy filled the church in a swirling vortex of power that raised the hairs on my arms and made me cry out in pain. The intense sonic blast of sound was enough to make me want to cover my ears to protect them from the assault, but I could only endure the pain while I waited on my knees. My hands stayed bound behind my back and I shivered as the souls released from their prisons and I heard the cries in wails of pain as the flowed around the room. One caught my attention as it floated past me and into the center of the circle, the soft light of it flickering as I heard a woman weep.

I had to stick to the plan, I could not use my gifts to save the floating light if I wanted to but it was hard. I wanted to jump and stop Leonie to free the souls, to let them go on to their final rest.

A hammer crashed through the wall next to me and hit the man Leonie called Thomas as I ducked and rolled toward Loki. I rolled onto my back and smashed the heel of my boot onto the edge of his God Trap, out of the corner of my eye I saw the woman running forward with a machete raised above her head. I kicked again, and the rotted wood splintered under the force, but the pentagram was still intact. I kicked again as Steve burst through the door and threw his shield at the charging woman, causing her to fall and drop the machete. It tumbled to embed itself into the floor next to my head and I looked at the swaying weapon for a few moments more and I gave a final, strong kick and the pentagram broke under my heel.

"You O.K?" Steve shouted over the noise and I nodded at him. Loki untied my hands and I stood up and picked up the shotgun and turned it on the man running forward with another knife. I pumped the round into the chamber and shot him center mass before he could stab Loki in the back, feeling sick at what I had done as the man died. Leonie continued to chant as the floorboards under our feet shivered, tumbling and giving way. The earth below crumbled and fell into an abyss that was opening where the center of the pentagram was. I reached out for the unconscious woman, but I was too late, she fell into the chasm that was quickly widening.

We backed as the void opened and I began circling the room, making my way toward Leonie. Tony and Tilgun burst through the walls as the steeple collapsed in the front of the ancient building. Loki edged around the other side of the building, grabbing the machete as he moved. The howls of the long dead howled below us in the void as we moved, Leonie continued as if nothing had happened not caring apparently that we had killed or maimed her three friends.

"Leonie!" I screamed over the din, and if she heard me, she gave no indication.

"Leonie! Stop this!" I screamed again and the screams of Guinee became a chorus that was too much to hear. I slapped my hands over my ears and moved closer to her as she raised her arms above her head. I was running out of time to stop her, and she knew it all to well.

The ground shifted and I nearly fell forward into the abyss in front of me. Waving my arms, I caught my balance as I leaned backwards and took in several deep breaths to steady myself. My fingers dug into the wall behind me and I shifted around the chasm again, sliding one foot and bringing them both back together as I moved.

Leonie completed her chant and the ground shook as another section of the church collapsed. We were trapped in the crumbling building and the Dargumiin was coming. More of the floor in front of me fell as a hole opened in the ceiling above me and part of the roof collapsed into the hole a support beam hit the ground where I was, blocking my path back. More of the floor crumbled away and the echoing screams and wind drowned out everyone's voices. The sound was deafening as I pressed my back against the wall behind me and continued forward. I nearly lost my balance again and I used my fist to punch a hole into the rotted wood to give myself a hand hold, continuing on my way with a bleeding hand.

I was saving what energy I had in case I had to jump with the Dragumiin far away from Earth to hide it, and now I was debating if I could. The hole in front of me was huge, and I was thinking this was not going to be a simple casket or pot. I punched into the wall again and used the new hand hold to brace myself as I continued forward making it to wider ground and I turned and faced the woman who had caused so much death.

I edged closer to Leonie as she stood triumphant over her work, my hands ached and bled from making hand holds as I stepped forward. Her head turned toward me and she pointed at the abyss in front of her, a ritual dagger in her hand. I glared at the woman as the wounds on my hands healed and I braced for her to attack.

"It is coming, you cannot stop it." Leonie screamed at me over the noise. More of the ground fell away as a large shudder rocked the ground under our feet and I bent my knees to keep from falling over.

"You can still send it back Leonie, there is still a chance to turn back." I shouted back at her and reached out for her wrist. "You can stop it before you do something you regret. Save yourself if you save no one else."

"You do not understand what it is to be powerless Avenger! I was cast off by people like you! Another weak person to be lost, ignored by all! I am claiming that power for me now!" She screamed at me and lunged forward with the dagger raised to stab me. Her fingers wrapped around my neck as we both fell backwards. I hooked my heel behind her knee and used the momentum to roll my body on top of her. She tried to stab at me with the knife, and made a slash across my arm as I grabbed her wrist and held hers over the chasm.

I banged her arm onto the ground and she released the knife, I kicked it away and it tumbled into the abyss. She released my throat to punch me in the face and I felt her knuckles connect with my jaw. The building shuddered and I could sense more of the ground giving way, I slapped her across the face and kicked away from her as we began grappling with one another. She tried to punch me in the thigh, but I twisted my body at the right moment that made her punch connect with my hip. I then kicked her feet out from underneath her with a sweep of my foot and punched her in the jaw as she fell. I then turned and delivered another sweeping kick to her ribs that would not kill her, but it would keep her down. She tried to slap out but I grabbed her arms and pinned them to her chest as I straddled her hips and went down with her. I looked at her on the floor and gasped for air to catch my breath and she looked at me in shock.

"I know what it is like to be powerless Leonie. I was once like you. Lost, with no one and nothing to give me guidance. But someone found me, and everything fell into place. You say you do not have any power, you have choice. Now help me send it back!" I screamed the last sentence at her and the fight seemed to leave her suddenly. He body relaxed and she looked at me and I hoped she saw that I was not lying to her. She took a few long breaths and looked at me and I released her arms and sat back on my knees on top of her.

"Make a choice, the right choice and save everyone with me." I said and her fist shot out and caught me on the cheekbone, I fell to the side and nearly into the chasm when she stood up over me. I rubbed my cheek and found a small cut, it had already started healing as she stood over me and grabbed the knife she used to kill the goat.

"You are wrong!" She screamed down at me as I lay back on the floor. "I have no choice and I will command this power! The Loa deemed me the person to have it!"

"No!" I shouted back at at her and stared into her. "The Lao are afraid of it, Baron Samedi asked me to stop you and destroy it!"

"Liar!" She shouted at me as the ground under us shifted and settled again. I looked up at her as she arched her hand back over her head and prepared to stab me with the knife. Loki rose up over her and swung the machete cutting clean through her neck before she could act. Her head rolled past me into the chasm and her body crumpled to the ground. I looked up at him in shock and he breathed heavily at me as I reached up for him to help me up. The ground under me gave another shuddering lurch and gave way, Loki lunged forward to grab me but missed my hand by a breath. I reached out for solid ground and it crumbled in my hand and I fell.

Thor threw Mjolnir and it embedded into the soil as I tumbled past the hammer, my head below my feet as I fell into Guinee.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22.

I fell for seconds, but it seemed like forever when something icy cold wrapped around my leg and stopped my descent. I looked up at my foot to see Tilgun holding onto my leg at the calf as he flexed and strained to keep me from falling. My pants slipped through his grip and I had to think fast to save my skin, I bent myself up at the waist and my fingers brushed the handle of the hammer before I slipped and Tilgun held my heel. I bent again and I reached out and grabbed the leather thong through Mjolnir's handle and looped my wrist through it. Thor looked at the two of us and put his hand out to call his hammer back to him.

I felt my shoulder pop out of joint as the cold hand released my leg and I was jerked straight at Thor. His hand wrapped around the handle and his other arm caught me around the waist in a python like grip and rolled me into his chest. The wind was knocked out of me, and everything ached but I was alive. I looked across the chasm to see Loki nod his approval to Thor and I felt my feet touch solid ground again. I gave Tilgun a thumbs up and he returned the gesture, I was not entirely sure if he knew what it meant.

"Is that how you pick up chicks in Asgard?" Tony said and I limped back, forgetting my wrist was still attached to the hammer and I stumbled and hung from Thor's hammer like a marionette. Frost was formed on my pants leg and Thor panicked as he saw where Tilgun caught me and dropped the hammer and it pulled me to the ground in a heap. Mjolnir hit the ground next to me as Thor crouched down and tore my pant leg open to reveal frost bitten skin over my calf muscle in a perfect hand print. It was already healing as Loki ran up and looked down at the leg, gingerly turning it in his hands as he examined the wound.

"It's fine, I would rather be in pain temporarily than dead permanently." I said and the ground shook as more of the church collapsed, the Dargumiin arrived and we watched in shock. The top of the crystalline structure emerging from the hole as it rose before us, awe swept over me as the seed of the planet's destruction loomed over us. It was so very beautiful, but so very frightening at the same time.

Night turned to midday as the gateway to Guinee closed beneath the fifteen foot crystalline egg and it hovered a bit over five feet from the ground, we watched in horror as a pulse of energy emitted from it. Everyone was thrown back and two walls of the church crumbled in and collapsed out from the center blast, raining debris down and Thor covered me with his body as pieces of wood and rotten roof fell down on us both. The Dargumiin hovered, shimmering with the electric swirls of power that emitted from it, iridescent swirls of colors inside it as another pulse emitted from it. Thor and I skidded back a few feet and I head Mjolnir skid in the dirt with me, I looked down at my arm to see the leather thong around my wrist and I rolled my eyes at it as I groaned in pain.

"Everyone alright?" Steve asked and I nodded as I slipped my hand free from Thor's hammer quickly.

"So Princess, this is your show now. Do something with that thing, and do it fast." Tony said and I shook my head dumbly. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, I found nothing on how to destroy it and it was much bigger than I expected it to be. I couldn't hide it anywhere without draining myself to the point of death, everything I planned on hinged on me preventing its arrival. I looked at Loki and limped forward, my frost bitten calf muscle screaming in pain as it healed.

"I don't know what to do." I said to Tony as another pulse emitted from the Dargumiin, throwing Loki into me as I fell and slid back on my butt. The remaining two walls of the church flew outwards as debris scattered one last time throughout the swamp. It was gaining energy for something big and I was not really sure what it was, but it scared me.

"Did you say that it could be broken using a great force?" Thor said as he held Mjolnir up and I nodded at him. He looked at the hammer as another pulse of energy radiated out, causing us to fly back again. We tumbled through the dirt and into the water of the swamp. My foot got tangled in underwater debris, I kicked for all I was worth at whatever it was and my foot popped loose allowing me to breach the surface of the water and breathe. I coughed and sputtered as I reached out for Loki and we slogged through the muddy waters, My foot caught on a stone and I nearly fell back over as I struggled back to shore. I collapsed to my knees in the dirt and took in long breaths as Thor got ready to jump at the shimmering source of power in front of us.

"Let us hope it works, the oaf has to be good for something in all this." Loki said and he knelt next to me and I looked at him and rolled my eyes.

"Will you be nice, he is at least trying." I said and Thor ran forward and jumped into the air toward the Dargumiin, I held my breath as Mjolnir struck the iridescent surface and bounced back. I closed my eyes and tried not to cry out in frustration as Thor flew back from it and I looked at Loki. I sat back on my heels and tried not to scream at the complete failure that the entire attempt was.

"I failed." I said in shock and looked at Loki again, another pulse radiated out and trees in the swamp around us swayed and threatened to snap. Loki pushed me to the ground and covered me with his body as branches fell on top of us. He sat up and I tried my best not to scream as another pulse came, and more tree branches fell around us.

"You did not fail, you tried." He said and pushed me away from the water and toward Steve and the rest of the group. Loki turned me toward him suddenly, looking me in the face as something crossed his mind.

"What was the translation! Think." Loki said and held my shoulders as he studied my face.

"The gist was that it took a great force to strike the Dargumiin to destroy it. Thor is a great force, he hit it, and it failed." I said and Loki shook his head at me, he started to say something as another pulse emitted and we were thrown back. I slammed into a tree and slid down the trunk the back of my shirt tore and snagged on the bark as I screamed in pain. It took me several seconds to get my bearings because I basically had the stupid knocked out of me, Loki checked me and I groaned at a spasm in my back as I stood up gingerly and tested my balance. I shook my head to clear it, and did my best to think on the fly as another pulse pushed me into the tree and knocked the breath out of my lungs.

"You read the translation, repeat it back to me. Verbatim." Loki said and pushed me into the ground to avoid another pulse, the tree top above us snapped and was coming toward us when I shot my hand out and blew it up with a pulse of my energy. Loki shielded me again from the falling splinters and I everything in my body ached, I could feel a broken rib healing from the pulse that robbed me of breath. I licked my lips and closed my eyes as I recalled the entire passage.

"The armor of the Dargumiin is thin like air, but strong as steel. It is energy forged in life and death, and only the passage of time and the power within has strengthened it. All armor has a weakness, only the touch of a great force can fracture it. The touch of life and death embodied in one, the power within the soul of the bearer. The armor will crack, shattering the crucible and releasing the spirit within." I said to Loki and he looked into me. Another pulse, much stronger than the previous shot out from it and we both flew back into the swamp. Loki's body snapped back as he crashed into a tree and he groaned in pain while cradling the back of his head. I crawled over to him and put my hand over the injury, using my power to heal the wound. I put my cheek into the hard dirt and smashed my fist into the ground, hating myself for not figuring out how to destroy it. Now everyone I cared about was going to die.

He sat up suddenly and looked at me, I blinked at him as he grabbed my shoulders and repeated the words back to me. My rib slipped back into place, I winced at the pain and did my best to not cry.

"The touch of life and and death embodied in one, the touch of a great force." He said and I nodded at him. "It is not building up to destroy the world, it is defending itself."

"But Thor got close to it, he is a great force." I replied. Thinking and looking at my hands. Another pulse knocked into us and we both skidded, kicking up dirt in our wakes as we moved back into the trees. My elbow scraped the ground and I screamed as the blood welled up, my shoulder was scratched, and I think I lost a layer of skin from my knee. Steve flew past me and he stopped as Tony tried a pulse from his suit, it ricocheted off the Dargumiin and the tree above us exploded, a large sliver of wood hit me in the shoulder and I pulled it out of my arm and I glared at Tony.

"Not to interrupt," Steve said and we both looked at him as I slapped my hand over the wound. "We could use a bit of advice on how to stop this thing before it kills all of us."

I looked back at Loki and tried to hide my frustration, he turned my head and looked at me, holding my face in his hands. His expression serious as he spoke.

"Thor is not a great force, nor is he life and death embodied in one. The Illenderial is the living embodiment of the elements that makes up the Universe. The four base elements and life and death." Loki said and I looked into his eyes, I sat back and my hand fell away from the now healed wound on my shoulder, the blood left the only remnant of the injury.

"It is defending itself from me." I said as the realization came crashing down on me. I looked back at Loki and he nodded, his brows knitted in worry as I knew then what I had to do. Steve tapped me on the arm to get my attention and I looked over my shoulder at him, steeling my courage as I stood up.

"Tell everyone that I know how to destroy it." I said as I prepared to jump. "Also, tell Tony that I am using the big bathtub back at the house and I demand a good bottle of wine when I this is all over."

Loki chuckled at me and I kissed him, my heart skipping at the contact as I pulled away and smiled at him. His hand snaked around my arm and he pulled me back close and kissed me again, making me blush and giggle.

"Try not to get hurt, I look forward to sharing the wine with you." Loki said and I smiled at him. Another pulse pushed us back and my hip banged against a tree painfully. I hissed at the pain and caught my breath and stood back up as I pulled some of the kinetic energy from the pulse into me, I lifted off the ground a bit and turned in the air as I threw my arms out and looked at the Dargumiin. The shimmering, iridescent egg was scared of me, and I was going to teach it the true meaning of fear. Another pulse radiated out and I took the energy from it and I took it in as it washed over me, the iridescent energy coated my hands and skin I looked at Loki.

"See you soon." I said and jumped, appearing directly under the egg shaped crystal structure. A pulse erupted from it and I stayed upright as the energy wrapped around me and I heard it cry out in fear of me, I reached up and it shifted away from my touch as a sound much like a whale came from it, the cries and clicks vibrated through me and another pulse wrapped around me trying to push me away.

I caught a breath and reached up, looking into the swirling colors above me as I stretched up on my toes and felt my feet leave the dirt beneath me. My fingers brushed the smooth surface and pink swirls radiated out followed by blue on the surface of the structure, radiating out from the contact. A sudden pulse tried to push me back, but I managed to keep my fingers on the surface. The Dargumiin was weakening under my touch, and the energy flowed from me and along the surface of the egg. My feet lifted further from the ground and my hand rested flat on the surface of the structure. Slowly, my fingers sank into the shell as cracks and fissures formed around them, radiating out and over the surface. Creating a growing network of patterns and spiderwebs as they flowed out and created the most fragile of armor.

The world became silent and I let my fingers sink into the swirling power inside the shell and I felt them all then. The voices of the gods and goddesses, long gone from the universe and trapped. One voices came to me out of the many within, and she whispered into my ear so many truths as I felt a warmth lace between my fingers. Eventually, my entire hand was inside the floating structure and I opened it upwards and closed my eyes, I let go of a pulse of my own energy into the center of it causing a chain reaction within the crucible that caused the entire thing to shake as it hovered.

I pulled my hand back as the structure shuddered and light seeped through the multitude of cracks. Night became day in the swamp and I looked up into the swirling energy, a soft voice of a woman in my ears told me to get to safety and I smelled perfume on the air. I had seconds to jump to safety, but I was transfixed on the chain reaction above me. The voice came again and I smelled the perfume again, and the feminine voice told me to flee. A warmth folded around my whole being and I let myself drift and I saw her.

"Get to safety, your task here is done." The voice said and I let myself go and appeared in the swamp between Thor and Loki as a final pulse radiated from the Dargumiin as it shattered into pieces. The crystalline pieces shattered again and the dust each piece became slowly floated up into the night sky, the souls inside it freed floated with inner light as they reached out for the stars and drifted into the night sky. They moved onto their paradise, and were at peace. One at a time, they vanished among the stars as we watched. I put my hand up and touched one, smelling perfume and feeling the same warmth radiate down my arm and my heart broke, dropping me to my knees as I cried and mourned the freed soul that floated up to the stars.

Loki wrapped his arms around me and I watched the point of light vanish and become lost among the stars, what I saw then I could never tell anyone. But everything in me fell into place as I sat in the swamp, every last broken piece became whole and I knew my place in the universe. Looking up to the stars in the sky, a glimpse of eternity was all it took and I knew my fate.

"Everything that was created, can be destroyed." I said and Thor looked down at me. Loki squeezed me tight in his arms and I let out a long breath. I looked at Loki and saw sadness in his eyes, sadness put there because he knew what I said was true.

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The screams of the dead echoed through the halls and around her cage as Leonie opened her eyes. The Baron stood over her, and she screamed. The weight of truth falling on her as she realized she was dead, the pain of realization falling on her like a weight she could not shake. Her fear shook her very core and she tried to run as the cage opened, but she was thrown back and tied to a pole, her arms high above her. She cried out in pain as she struggled to free herself, and Baron Samedi picked up a knife as the touched her bare foot and smiled as he slipped his cigar back into his mouth.

"Hello Leonie, welcome home little Bokor." Baron Samedi said and began sawing through her ankle. Eventually, her screams became washed out by the blood in her throat that choked her from her torn vocal chords.

"Eternity is a very long time to learn not to cross me." The Baron said and started on her other ankle, whistling a jazz tune to himself as he sawed the other foot off.

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The flight back to New York was uneventful, Tony made arrangements for an expensive bottle of wine using Friday, and threw in a box of fine chocolates as an added bonus. Steve needed minor cuts tended to, and Thor gave Tilgun bags of ice to cool his body temperature back down. Fury was busy, and I made sure I stayed out of the way of the man.

I sat in the seat with my back aching from everything I had just been through, my head rested on Loki's shoulder as he stared out the side window across from us. Steve and Fury spoke quietly among themselves, and Tony used some cargo netting suspended from the ceiling of the Chinook as a makeshift hammock. Thor looked at the two of us and smiled wistfully from his seat near Tilgun, Loki put and arm around me silently as I debated falling asleep and never waking back up.

Fury and Steve walked over to us and The Director of SHIELD extended his hand to me. I shook it, knowing that I had just won the stern man's respect. He did not have to say anything in that moment of gratitude for saving the world, he knew that he would not have to. His actions spoke volumes as he turned and nodded at Loki, accepting his new ally in saving the world.

"You saved the world again, all of you." Fury said as he looked at both of us and removed his gloves. "Your records are expunged. We will need you again however, to return to Earth and assist us with our secondary matter of The Horsemen. Can we rely on you for this?"

"You can Fury." Loki said and I nodded my agreement, accepting that this was my life now. I couldn't change what I was, but I could come to terms with it eventually.

"We will come back, just tell Thor when you need us." I said and Fury extended his other hand to Loki and he accepted it, shaking the man's hand and accepting the respect that was offered. Steve smiled down at me and I returned it, looking back up at him. I snuggled back into Loki as he released Fury's hand and the man moved on to talk to Tilgun, probably to extend thanks for his assistance in the mission. I had respect as well for the Jotun, it was not his fight, not even his planet, but he stayed and helped us and saved me in the process. The universe could learn a lot from the man who now sat on the floor of the Chinook, bags of ice draped over his shoulders and neck as he relaxed.

"What is it Steve?" I asked him and he grinned wider at me, some thought on his mind that he probably found funny. Right then, I was finding it hard to laugh.

"You moved the hammer." He said and I frowned up at him, narrowing my eyes and groaned.

"No I didn't. Thor called it to him, I just held on like my life depended on it." I said and shook my head. He crossed his arms and let out a long breath, behind him Tony started taking an interest in our conversation and looked up from his phone.

"Not then. When the Dargumiin arrived, you had your wrist through the strap. The pulse of energy hit us, the hammer moved with you. You moved the hammer." He said and I thought about it for a minute and sat up, I shook my head in denial. I couldn't have moved Mjlonir, it was impossible.

"I hear wedding bells." Tony joked and looked at the three of us.

"Shut up Tony. I so did not move it, the pulse of energy moved it. No way that was me, I have done way too much bad stuff in my life." I said and Tony looked at us while grinning from his makeshift lounge.

"Yeah, the pulse did move it, but you had possession of it." Tony said and I put my elbows on my knees as I thought about it.

"No. No way. I did not move Mjlonir." I said and crossed my arms. Loki gave a low chuckle and I looked at him and glared.

"Let's settle this." Tony said and turned his head. "Thor bring your extremely picky hammer over here so we can settle an argument. Keep the other one in your pants, we don't want the poor girl fainting."

"Very mature Tony. I did not move that damn thing, argument settled." I said and crossed my arms as Thor stood up and walked over to us with Mjlonir in his hand. I looked at Loki, completely confused and thinking if I did the impossible and move it when my wrist was through the strap. He looked back at me with a mixture of confusion and worry as I thought about all the horrible stuff I did in the past that got me into trouble. Thor set the hammer down on the floor in front of me and gestured toward it, backing away and crossing his arms.

"Lady, make your attempt." He said and I shook my head, there was no way. Loki gave a chuckle as I stood up and looked down at it.

"You did move it before, this should be easy." Steve said and I tilted my head at him as I planted my hands on my hips. Tilgun joined the circle and looked from me to the hammer and back. I rolled my eyes and threw my arms out.

"I did not move it Steve, my arm was just through the strap. I was not even touching the handle at the time. Think about how unworthy I am, I worked running Heroin for a Russian Gangster, I beat up kids for looking at me wrong, I stole, I cheated, I hacked the goddamn Pentagon when I was twelve. I am a horrible person, that hammer will not even wiggle for me." I said and crossed my arms, staring him down and looked back at Thor.

"It is doubtful. But you are repentant toward your sins Lady, perhaps it is the you that is here now that can move it." Thor said and I looked back at Loki. I rolled my eyes, feeling deflated and Tony started the chant of "Move it." I groaned and giggled to myself, putting my hands over my face in embrassment. I laughed to myself and gave in, what the hell.

I reached down and wrapped my hand around the handle, Loki leaned forward and squinted his eyes at it. I let go and glared at him, he sat back and and crossed his arms as he smirked at me. I laughed, rolling my eyes and grasped the handle again yanking straight up and Mjlonir lifted freely off the ground in my grip. My jaw fell open as Loki laughed and clapped his hands at the sight. Thor crossed his arms and looked from Loki to me, I panicked internally as my eyes went wide.

I looked over at Tony, he was sitting up in complete shock as he looked at me. Steve laughed and shook his head at me. Tilgun regarded us and I heard the distinct sound of someone taking a cell phone picture and glared at Tony who was sending someone a text from his phone. I waved my free hand and shoved the hammer at Thor in complete panic, he took it and I put my hands on my knees to steady myself.

"Let's never talk about this one again." I said to Thor and he nodded, looking at Mjlonir in concern. Loki continued to laugh, and Tony laughed to himself as he finished sending his text.

"Bruce will never believe me without proof. You should have seen your face." Tony said and I glared at him, he put his hands up and smiled at me. "Too late Princess, it is all over the servers back at Stark Industries, no way am I letting this one go."

"I told you. You moved it." Steve said and Thor nodded at me, my hands shook as Loki calmed himself as he licked his lips and regarded me. He sat back and crossed his arms as he smiled at me, his amusement at his siblings torture was evident.

"Still want off the hook for that wager?" I asked Loki as he smiled smugly at me.

"Nervous you will have to deliver Little Mouse?" He said and smiled at me. I sat down in the seat next to him and rubbed my hands over my torn pants. I was dirty, bruised, sore, smelled like a bog, and a total mess, not the most romantic look to accept a marriage proposal. I tried to run my fingers through my hair and found a piece of wood tangled in it. On top of that, I really was not ready to take a big step like that, I was twenty three, and still felt like I was not mature enough for that part of life.

"I am really just not ready." I said, being honest with him as I settled. I hoped I was not hurting his feelings or pissing him off, the whole bet was just a joke anyways. He put an arm around me and pulled me close into him, smiling as he looked at me and laughed.

"You are relieved of your having to deliver on the wager." He said and I smiled at him.

"Thanks," I said and hugged him. "I didn't want to force you into anything anyways, that is totally a huge step for anyone to even consider."

"You wouldn't exactly be forcing me." He said and I looked up at him in surprise. Loki smiled back at me and pulled me close, hugging me to him as I laughed into his neck. Tony made a sound that made up both look at him and I was waiting for him to make a joke about us being cuddly.

"Bruce responded to the picture. I can't believe he even knows some of those words, he kissed his mother with that mouth?" Tony said and I laughed and Loki chuckled. I winced at a muscle pain in my back and tried to find a more comfortable position, being thrown into a tree was not very fun at all.

"I so need that hot bath." I said and groaned. Tony smiled at me and I settled back into my seat, out the window, I could see the Washington Monument and smiled at the white stonework tribute to the Nation's First President. The sun warm and bright, chasing away the darkness we had just been through bringing a new day and new promise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Stephen Johannason smiled down at the email and folded his hands behind his back as he stood up and walked around the desk in his office to the large, open window. He looked at the calm waters of Gardiners Bay, lost in his thoughts as he looked at the houses that dotted the coast of Orient Point. Most of the houses were still occupied but would be left for the warmer climates as the cold of Autumn came, their residents unaware of the dangers that lurked on the island across the water from them. So secure in their ignorance that the massive building that occupied most of the small plot of land was left to decay by the government that sold it to him, they were fools. If only they knew what was so close to them, what monsters were born and bred behind concrete walls, filters working day and night to ensure that none of them escaped into the air.

Summer was beginning to end, and soon, Long Island would be hosting the annual fall colors that made people migrate from the city to see the spectacle of nature in full glory. After that, the harsh New England winter would be on them and the snow and ice would hide the ugliness of the world from view. Even in death, nature could be so beautiful, so poetic.

The door behind him opened and he turned to see the person who had disturbed his thoughts, facing the man who entered as if it were a casual visit. Marcel stood quietly as he looked at Stephen, his well tailored suit flattering in the way the color complimented his olive skin tone. Stephen was not a fool though, even with Marcel's casual stance, he was still very deadly.

"Leonie is dead, the other one still lives." Marcel said calmly, and Stephen smiled widely as he turned fully around and regarded the man.

"This is very good news Marcel, thank you for bringing it to me yourself." Stephen replied, his trademark smile that sold billions in faulty medicines that kept people sick crossing his face. "Any news on our forthcoming project?"

"The flu the lab designed will be spread in a week, ground zero will be in California. The other unnamed project is ready sir, the lab wishes to know if you have a name for it." Marcel said as Stephen returned to his desk and sat down in the comfortable leather chair, he thought deeply about what to call his plan and looked at the photograph woman on the computer screen. He studied her closely and traced every curve of her face with his eyes, this one was from the latest batch from the new mole he controlled inside SHIELD, and the long royal purple evening dress looked stunning on her. A smile crossed his mouth again, this one darker and predatory as he looked at her pale shoulders under the thin straps of the satin dress.

"Prometheus." Stephen said and changed his mind suddenly, shaking his head as Marcel watched the gesture. "No, not Prometheus, we shall call it Icarus."


	24. Epilogue

Epilogue:

I lay back on the Chaise, a cushion under my head and the the sky above me clear as the light in it darkened to purple and the stars slowly began winking into view. The night was warm, and the smell of jasmine filled the air, carried on the nice breeze as I rested the back of my hand over my head and felt the texture of the silk fabric under my head. It was another perfect night here, and I was at peace.

Asgard was as we left it, and Heimdall was more than happy to see us. We said our goodbyes to Tilgun at the Bifrost, and I thanked him fully for saving my life. Thor, Loki and I walked back to the castle together, telling jokes and sharing stories, and we met with Odin immediately. He was unhappy that we were away longer than the promised time, but Thor told him the story of what we faced and I think he appeased the old King. He questioned me about facing the undead, and he saw my face crumple at the memories and allowed me to leave Loki with him to fill in the details. I walked back to my room alone where Aimee hugged me and let me bathe in relative peace before helping me dress for the rest of the day.

The really good news, I finally got my shelves. I put my collection of books on them and smiled at the honey colored wood, carefully carved and made to house several lifetimes of reading materials. Sif came to see me and I told her the whole story, her face changed to horror as I told her about the Zombies, and I may have left a few minor details out. We laughed, and she teased my bear naming abilities, insisting that I should call Skeletor Sparticus something else. She left after eating a light lunch with me and I welcomed the quiet as I organized my small library, but found myself missing Loki.

Part of me wanted to be sure he was O.K and the other part said to just leave him to his new duties, I was torn up inside over everything I witnessed over the last few days as well. I felt stupid and worried, and it made my stomach churn as I thought about it more, I probably offended him by letting him off the hook for the bet, and I regretted it. He barely talked to me at the party Tony threw in New York, and I started wondering if I screwed up everything. I sighed at the stars as a Fire Sprite flittered across my view and landed on the tip of my finger and took off again and flew away. My emerald green dress shifted in the cool breeze that blew across me as I studied the stars as I heard the door to my room open and close behind me. Footsteps approached, pausing when the owner of the feet saw the new additions to my rooms. I smiled to myself as they continued out to the balcony and I let out a long breath.

"You have the most commanding walk of anyone here Loki." I said and I heard him laugh as he walked around the chaise and looked down at me.

"Is that how you know it is me?" He asked and sat down next to me on the lounge. His hand folded around the one that I rested on my stomach and I smiled at him and nodded.

"Thor has a slight shuffle in his left foot, Sif is lighter in the toes and her heels hit harder when she walks. Fandral drags his right foot and always has a slight scrape in his left. I am now realizing how weird I am in all of this." I said and he laughed at me.

"How does my walk sound?" He challenged me and I grinned back at him as I played with his fingers again.

"Not telling, because knowing you, you will change your walk to sneak up on me." I said and giggled as his fingers laced between mine and his other hand patted the back of the hand.

"Clever mouse." He said to me and I blushed at the compliment.

"Sly fox." I teased him and he laughed at me. He glanced back in the rooms and let out a breath as the thought about something, his mind struggling again and I pointed at the doors.

"I finally got my book shelves." I said and he nodded at the statement. "It took them long enough, I thought I was going to have to build them myself there for a bit."

"Your desk does look much less cluttered, and they do look very nice in there. Now you just have to fill them with more books." He replied as he looked down at my hand and struggled a bit more, I waited quietly as he thought, his face remaining calm as I smiled up at him. He let go of my hand as he looked up at the stars and then around the balcony, his mind working

and thoughts he did not know how to express crossing his face.

"Did Odin talk to you about your appointment?" I asked him and he looked back at me and nodded. His face taking on a look of pride at the responsibility of his new station.

"Yes, he did actually. It is favorable for your continued tutelage as well. I will only be required to travel to the Jotunheim if the need arises. And, perhaps you may accompany me on my travels." He said and I smiled wide at him. He slipped his hand into his pocket and took in a deep breath, my heart started pounding in my chest seeing his inner struggle as he pulled a small velvet packet out of his pocket and turned it over in his hands. I put my hand on his arm and he turned toward me, his fingers shifting something inside the pouch.

"I had this commissioned months ago. It has been in my pocket long enough, please accept this. I love you Little Mouse, and I cannot see my life leaving yours. Be my Bride." Loki said and I felt tears prickle at my eyes, a long breath escaping between my lips as I stared into him. He put the pouch in my hands and I sat up and looked at it. My fingers traced the embroidered rose on the outside of it and I looked into his eyes again as I opened the flap and tipped a small gold ring into my other hand. An openwork Celtic Braid with an Amethyst set in the center of the band, such a small thing yet the promise of eternity. I gasped and the tears flowed freely as I looked at the beautiful ring. My arms wrapped around his neck and he stiffened in confusion to my response. I sniffed and pulled away and he wiped the tear from my cheek.

"Is this an acceptance?" He asked me and I giggled and blushed as his hand rested on top of the ring in my palm. I nodded, not being able to find a cognitive thought in my head in that moment. I found the word and his face lit up as I spoke it, his stormy blue eyes sparkling as he picked up the ring and slipped it onto my finger.

"Yes." I said, my voice that I found was strong and true as I said the single word. His hand cradled mine as he admired the ring on my finger. He pulled me close to him and held me tight, I looked up at the stars in the twilight sky and smiled. One word on my lips as I felt his face turn into my neck.

Yes.


End file.
